Jedi Knight Naruto Revised: The Clone Wars
by Sgt. Assassin
Summary: With the declaration of war from the CIS, the Republic enters its' darkest hour, as bloodshed, violence, and lawlessness take over the galaxy. Naruto and Revan must find a way to help keep the peace, as well as keep the Republic from tearing itself apart.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: A Galaxy Divided**

_**Striking swiftly after the Battle of Geonosis,**_

_**Count Dooku's droid army has seized control of**_

_**the major hyperspace lanes, separating the Republic**_

_**from the majority of it's clone army.**_

_**With few clones available, the Jedi Generals cannot gain a foothold**_

_**on the Outer Rim Territories, as more and more**_

_**planets choose to side with Dooku's Seperatists.**_

_**While the Jedi and the Republic are occupied fighting**_

_**a war, no one is left to keep the peace.**_

_**Chaos and crime spread rampantly, and the innocent become**_

_**victims in a lawless galaxy.**_

_**Crime Lord Jabba Desilijic Tiure's son has been kidnapped**_

_**by a rival band of pirates. Desperate to save his son,**_

_**Jabba the Hutt sends out a desperate**_

_**call for help.**_

_**A call the Jedi...are cautious to answer.**_

_**Coruscant, the Chancellor's Office...**_

"**His Majesty Jabba the Hutt requests any who can provide assistance in the rescue of his beloved son."** Came the widespread message issued by the Hutt, one that many by now were privy to.**"Any information regarding the kidnappers is to be sent to him immediately."**

Chancellor Palpatine's response was swift. "We must help Jabba. This is the opportunity we've been waiting for. The Jedi MUST rescue Jabba's son."

In the office with Palpatine were Jedi Masters Mace Windu, Plo Koon, and Luminara Unduli, as well as Jedi Knight Naruto Namikaze.

Mace regarded the Chancellor with a frown. "I do not like it. Dealing with criminal scum such as Jabba leaves a bad taste in my mouth."

Naruto nodded. "Not to mention the fact that he's a Hutt...I really hate Hutts."

The other Masters nodded, and Palpatine looked distraught. "Come now, Naruto, my old friend. Surely you can put aside your dislike for the species in order to save an innocent, correct?"

Naruto sighed. "You know me too well, Chancellor. I'll be willing to do it, but ONLY because it's a child. I don't like it when children get involved in the affairs of adults." He frowned, thinking back upon his own dark past. No, children should NEVER be involved in adult matters.

Mace sighed also. "Regardless, this is a dark day for the Republic."

Palpatine gestured for them to walk. "I agree, my friend. Yet, what choice do we have? The Hutts all but control the Outer Rim, and we will need access to their hyperspace lanes in order to move our troops. Count Dooku has seen to that."

Plo Koon broke his silence. "There is more to this kidnapping than what lies on the surface. There is some underlying plan in motion. We must tread lightly on this matter."

Luminara nodded. "I agree. I suspected the same thing, and I can bet Naruto, Mace, and even the Chancellor could assume as much. One does not just commit a heinous crime such as this for no purpose. There is always something to gain from such acts."

Palpatine nodded. "Then it be for the best that you send as many Jedi as you can."

Mace shook his head. "Impossible. The droid army under General Grievous has our forces spread too thinly. The only Jedi we can spare..."

Naruto thumbed his chest. "Would be me."

Mace nodded. "Yes. We can also use Revan and Kenobi, as they have just captured the planet Christophsis."

Palpatine thought for a moment. "...Very well. Then contact them immediately." He turned to Naruto. "I will expect your departure within the hour. We cannot afford to wait any longer on this matter."

Normally, the Chancellor would never be allowed to become involved in Jedi affairs, nor would he be allowed to order as such. However, this was a special circumstance, and all Jedi present let the matter slide.

"Right away." came Naruto's reply, and he left the room in a shunshin, much to the displeasure of Mace and the mirth of Palpatine.

"I hate it when he does that."

* * *

><p>Aboard the Republic Flagship <em>Negotiator<em>, the admiral approached the holotable, where the visages of Grand Jedi Master Yoda and Jedi Master Mace Windu hovered.

"What can I do for you, Generals?"

"**We need to make contact with General Kenobi."**

"We've been unable to reach him. It could be a solar storm, or they could be rebooting their communications. I'm sure the blackout is temporary."

Yoda spoke up.**" A messenger, we are sending. With important orders for General Kenobi, this one carries."**

Mace picked up where he left off. **"Make sure the messenger gets there as soon as possible."**

The admiral nodded. "Yes, sir. As soon as we load relief supplies, ammunition, rations, and bacta."

Yoda shook his head. **"No time, there is. Immediately, the message must be sent."**

The admiral paused, seeming to mull over the request. "I understand, sir. I will personally see to it that an unloaded ship be ready to drop the messenger off as soon as they arrive. I will then return to pick up my reinforcements."

"**In a matter of moments, the messenger will arrive. Make haste, commander. Not on our side, time is."**

* * *

><p><em><strong>On Christophsis...<strong>_

R2-D2 squealed in terror as a blaster bolt flew past his dome, sending him scurrying behind a rock. Clone troopers began taking cover in alarm, as red laser flew over their heads and struck fallen rock and debris.

Racing forward, Obi-Wan leapt over fallen spires and came to a screeching halt as he saw what lay before him. He turned to Revan, who had just gotten there with HK-47, the droid already pulling out his various weapons of death and dismemberment.

"_Why in the bloody hell did I let her bring that along? Oh, right, cause it's good at killing things, and this is a war. No better time to cause massive amounts of death and destruction, right? Fuck my life."_

Shaking his head, he pointed to the assembling mass of machinery. "They're baaaaaack~"

Revan groaned. "What is this, the fifth assault this week? Why don't they just give the fuck UP?"

"Obvious but Necessary Statement: They are droids, Master. They do not know the meaning of give up."

Revan leveled a glare at HK. "Be useful and go play with your weapons."

"Ecstatic Statement: OF COURSE, MASTER!" Without warning, HK began to _skip_ towards the enemy, causing both Revan and Obi-Wan to drop their jaws in utter bewilderment. What's more, he seemed to be humming a jolly tune as he tore into the ranks of battle droids with nary a care in the world, blasters alight with bolt after bolt of blue and red death, his grenade launcher smoking as he continued to lob thermal detonators into their masses.

"Did you just-"

"Yeah."

"Was he really-"

"Yeah."

"...That's going to scar me for life."

"Me, too."

"On another note..." Obi-Wan rounded on Revan. "I TOLD YOU this victory was too easy! We NEVER should have sent the ship back for supplies!"

Revan huffed. "It wasn't MY idea to send the ship back!"

Obi-Wan shook his head and turned to the clones, most notably one with yellow paint on his armor. "Alright, men. Second wave incoming. Cody, you and your men take your positions." He turned around to regard the advancing droids, a frown on his face as Commander Cody shouted out orders to his troops.

Revan turned to a specific clone, blue paint adorning his helmet and armor. "Rex, you and your men follow me." Without waiting, she rounded on her heel and sprinted forward, Commander Rex and his troops rushing to catch up.

All around the bridge, battle raged. Clones lined up behind ragged strips of rubble and pelted the oncoming droids with waves of blaster bolts, assisting HK in cutting down swathes of machines. Bombardments from AV-7 Anti-vehicle Cannons, aka Republic Heavy Platforms, took out massive chunks in the droid lines, yet as always, their numbers far made up for their inferior tactics, as they merely reformed their ranks and kept coming.

The Octuptarra Combat Tri-Droids, aka dwarf spider walkers and Super Battle Droids pounded the rubble the Republic forces hid behind, chunks of rock and plastic flying though the air as both sides relentlessly traded fire, the occasional scream or grunt of a clone piercing the air as a few bolts found their marks. The oppressive sound of the heavy cannons echoed through the air as they continued their barrage, several dwarf spider walkers on the receiving end collapsing in a pile of smoking metal and sparking wires, some exploding outright before their legs toppled over onto the sea of battle droids.

As the droids continued to come closer and closer to their embankment, Cody briefly turned to regard Obi-Wan, the Jedi deflecting bolts left and right. "Namikaze should have attacked by now! Where the devil is she?"

Obi-Wan smirked. "Don't you worry about Revan. Second only to Naruto, she's the strongest person I know. She knows the plan!"

High above the bridge, Revan emerged on the rooftops with Commander Rex and his men. She gave the bridge a quick once-over, and nodded to herself.

Rex regarded Revan. "What's our plan of attack, Ma'am?"

Looking over her shoulder, Revan grinned. "Follow me." With that, she leapt off the rooftop, making a beeline for the nearest dwarf spider droid, landing on top of its' head and igniting her dual lightsabers, laughing as she deflected blaster bolts back to several other spiders, watching them explode in a shower of molten metal and debris.

Calling out his orders, Rex ignited his jetpack and leapt into the fray, his men following in short order as they dove straight into the middle of the pack, their blasters ablaze as they wiped out surprised droids left and right.

The advanced section of droids stood no chance, as Revan and Rex cut them apart from the middle, tearing through the flank and pinching the forward forces between them, Obi-Wan, and Cody. With a cry of advance, Obi-Wan lead the charge, several clones being struck down as they moved from their cover and engaged the droids, close-quarters combat now available to either side. The heavy platforms kept up their bombardment, obliterating whatever flank was left, then focusing on the middle of the remaining droids, hammering them relentlessly until scrap was all that remained. The new flank fell fast to Rex and his clones, their training more than making up for their smaller numbers.

Revan finished the spider droid she was atop, and leapt forward to carve a wicked gash down the middle of the next spider droid, it groaning before toppling forward. She used the dying machine as a springboard, and leapt backwards, hopping on the heads of several SBD's and landing on the last spider, flinging her saber to remove one of its' legs as her other carved off the second one, causing it to slam to the ground hard. She leapt off it, and called her lightsaber back to her in mid-air, laughing as she sliced a surprised B-1 Battle droid in half diagonally.

Behind one of the downed spiders, Revan met up with Obi-Wan. "So, how'd ya like that one? Pretty good, huh?"

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes, and peered out from behind their cover. "Yeah, can you do it about three more times? Then we might stand a chance."

As HK made his way over, he looked out and decided to comment on their situation. "Statement: While this unit is not one for pessimistic talk, it believes we are in dire straits."

Revan looked out and groaned. There were at least several thousand more battle droids, and at least a hundred or so more walkers, with about 50-60 AAT's and 20 or so NR-N99 Persuader-class Droid Enforcers.

_(**A/N: The NR-N99's were the spearhead of the armored Seperatist forces during the Battle of Kashyyyk, near the tail end of the Clone Wars. They were the tanks with tread similar to the military tanks we use IRL.**)_

They'd only terminated the advanced force, and that consisted of about 250 or so battle droids, and around 5-6 walkers. While numbers did not guarantee a battle won, it sure as hell gave one side an advantage, and the overwhelming numbers the droids had in this case was proving to be a big advantage for the Separatists.

"Well, unless we get reinforcements soon, we're SOL and JWF." said Revan.

"Come again?"

"Shit out of luck, and jolly-well fucked."

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes again. "Oh, splendid. Well, we might as well assume the position, since we haven't been able to contact the admiral. They're probably jamming our transmissions."

Revan chuckled. "Since when did you get a sense of humor?"

Obi-Wan gave her a look. "Since I met your idiot of a husband."

Revan laughed outright, even as she deflected several blaster bolts back to their owners. On the other side of the field, the commander of the droid army pulled his head out of his personal tank. "Why are we stopping?" he growled.

Indeed they had stopped. As the AAT's had begun to advance, they'd encountered more and more resistance, as the clones operating the heavy platforms began focusing on them instead of the droids, pegging one with each shot. On top of that, the large amounts of debris and Octuptarra chassis' made it all but impossible to pass.

"We cannot get past their cannons, sir. They keep tearing our troops apart."

The commander blinked. "Cannons? This is no good. We must pull back and set up our deflector shields."

The droid nodded, and terminated the link, immediately issuing the order for retreat.

As the droids began to pull back, Revan inwardly sighed. "We JUST held them off that time. Where the fuck are our reinforcements?"

As if to sate her ire, a dropship flew overhead, cheers from the clones adding to her already uplifting spirits.

Obi-Wan grinned at her. "Does that answer your question?"

Revan punched him lightly in the shoulder. "Can it, flyboy."

Obi-Wan shook his head. "It's about time they came back, though. Now we can get our reinforcements. Fresh troops, fresh supplies...it looks like our problems are solved, for the most part."

Revan nodded. "Yeah, and perhaps they brought your new padawan with them."

Obi-Wan nodded. "Yeah, and perhaps they-wait, what?"

Revan smirked. "You'll see."

Obi-Wan paled. "YOU DIDN'T!"

Revan said nothing as they neared the dropship, Obi-Wan's pleas falling on deaf ears. The ramp came down, and Revan's eyes brightened, before she ran towards the ship and leapt upon the unsuspecting individual.

"Rev-OOOF!" Naruto said, his sentence brutally cut off as his wife tackled him full-force, slamming him onto the durasteel floor. Several chuckles were heard from the clone pilots as Revan nuzzled Naruto like a cat with a scratching post.

"Naru-kun, I missed you SOOOO much!" she squealed, and Naruto merely mumbled a reply that was muffled by his wife's impressive breasts. She asked him to repeat himself, and he mumbled a "Get off of me."

Huffing, she sat up, dragging the poor man with her as she continued to snuggle with him. "What? I've been gone WEEKS, and all I get from you is a 'Get Off'? I thought you loved me?"

"I love you, dear, but I don't love you choking me. Last I checked, it's bad for my health. Air, and all that good stuff you need to live."

She swatted him on the shoulder before grinning. "Trust me, when I'm done with you, air is going to be the LEAST of your-"

"Not to interrupt your monologue, dear, but we DO have company." Naruto gestured to the side.

Revan scoffed. "Please. It's not like Obi-Wan hasn't-"

"Excuse me."

Revan froze as a distinctly feminine voice graced her ears. She blinked, and Naruto sighed. "Rev, this is Padawan Learner Ahsoka Tano. Ahsoka, this is my lovely wife, Revan."

The youngling bowed, and Revan had the grace to blush profusely. "Pleased to meet you, Master Namikaze."

"Er...the pleasure is all mine, dear." She quickly got off her husband, who snickered as she shifted uncomfortably from the overzealous display of affection she just gave.

"Please don't take what I did the wrong way, Padawan. I was merely-"

"Don't apologize, Master. I understand. He is your lifemate, after all."

Revan blinked, and Naruto snickered even more. She hushed him with an elbow to the side. "Er, yeah. Lifemate." A second elbow shut Naruto up again, his giggling getting on her nerves.

The three disembarked, and went over to Obi-Wan, who blinked upon seeing Naruto and Ahsoka. "Naruto, I didn't know you were coming. Actually...I didn't know a youngling was coming either. I..." He sighed. "Being out of the loop sucks."

Naruto slapped his back, causing him to stumble forward. "Get used to it, Ben. Fate is fickle, Destiny is uncertain, and Karma's a bitch. Now, shut up so we can get to work."

Revan laughed while Obi-Wan glared at him. "Ha-ha. So, I take it your the padawan Revan requested?"

Ahsoka nodded. "Yes, I was sent by Master Yoda to deliver an important message. He needs the two of you to come with us back to Coruscant immediately. It's an emergency."

Revan blinked, while Obi-Wan shook his head. Revan's face took on a serious frown. "What the hell? In case you haven't noticed, WE'RE in a bit of an emergency ourselves!"

Obi-Wan nodded. "Yes, our communications have been rather unreliable, but we've been calling for help."

Ahsoka frowned. "Master Yoda hadn't heard from you, so he sent me to deliver the message."

Revan scoffed. "Well, fuck. They don't even know we're in trouble. Just great."

Naruto poked her in the shoulder, feigning indignance. "Oi, I'm here, aren't I? Whatever you've got, I can handle it, no sweat."

She rounded on him and hugged him tightly. "I completely forgot about how awesome you are, sweetie. Now , can you do me a really big favor?"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "How did I know this was coming?"

She poked his nose, and he wrinkled it in distaste. "Shush. Now, I need you to be a dear and decimate the opposing army for me. Can you do that?"

Naruto sighed. "What are the stats?"

Obi-Wan just stood off to the side, taking it all in like he'd seen it a hundred times before (In reality, it was only 98). Ahsoka just stood there and watched them plan out a one-man suicide run like it was common practice, and he did it all the time.

Obi-Wan placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry. Naruto is more than capable of what's about to take place. Trust us."

She nodded. "Is there anything else?"

Obi-Wan thought for a moment. "Yes. Did a cruiser drop you off, by any chance?"

She nodded, and he smiled. "I'll need to get in touch with them."

* * *

><p><em><strong>In orbit above Christophsis...<strong>_

Three Banking Clan Comm Ships were firing upon said cruiser as they spoke, the lone ship letting loose every cannon at its' disposal in retaliation. While they had superior armament, once again numbers proved to be the turning point in the battle, and the cruiser was steadily losing strength.

"Shit, this is bad. We've GOT to get back and pick up our reinforcements! We've got to get out of here!" roared the admiral. "Begin plotting course for the jump to lightspeed."

One of the commanders received the incoming message from the surface, and groaned as he heard their request. "We're under attack by Separatist warships as we speak. However, I'll do my best to make contact with the Jedi Temple for you."

Naruto nodded. **"That's all we can ask, commander."**

The clone nodded. **"Gimme a sec."** Off-screen, he pressed a few buttons, and after several tense moments, Master Yoda's visage appeared.

"**Master Kenobi. Glad Ahsoka found you, I am."**

Revan strode forward. "Let's dispense with the pleasantries. We're trapped here, and VASTLY outnumbered. We are in no position to be going anywhere unless we receive some reinforcements. Our supply ships have all been destroyed, as it stands."

Yoda nodded. **"Send reinforcements, we will. A-"** The transmission wavered, flickered, then abruptly cut off.

Revan pounded the holotable. "Shit."

Aboard the cruiser, the shields on the ship were weakening faster than they could be restored. Holding onto the sides of the table, the commander patched in the signal, and was rewarded with the visages of the Jedi.

"We've lost the transmission, sir-" he began, but was interrupted when another commander strode into the comm room.

"We have to leave orbit immediately. More enemy ships have just arrived, and are locking on to our critical systems."

The commander nodded. **"I'm sorry, but we have no choice. We'll get back to you as soon as we can."**

With that, the link was terminated, and Naruto sighed. "So much for reinforcements, huh?"

Revan slammed her fist on the holotable again. "Blasted droids."

"Peeved statement: I am a droid, Master."

Revan groaned, and rubbed her temples. "You know what I mean, HK."

Naruto patted her shoulder. "Now now, hon, let's not forget our manners."

Obi-Wan nodded. "For once, he's right." The indignant reply was ignored, and Obi-Wan walked over to Ahsoka. "Proper introductions first. I'm Obi-Wan Kenobi. This is Naruto and Revan Namikaze, and HK-47. Revan will be your new Master."

Ahsoka shook her head. "I'm Ahsoka Tano, Padawan Learner. I'm at your services, Masters, and I don't mean to offend, but I've been assigned to you, Master Kenobi, not Master Namikaze."

Revan grinned, and Naruto blinked for a second, before he burst out in laughter. "Ben? Take an apprentice? THAT is a good one. He can barely keep himself out of trouble!" He was promptly smacked in the face with a flying piece of rubble, and he dropped like a stone, Revan shaking her head as Obi-Wan lowered his hand.

Turning back to Ahsoka, he shook his head. "I'm sorry, but there must be some mistake. Revan was the one who requested an apprentice."

Revan clapped a hand on Obi-Wan's shoulder. "There's no mistake, flyboy. I put your name on the application."

He rounded on her. "YOU DID **WHAT**?"

Ahsoka nodded. "She's right. Master Yoda specifically stated that I am to be the apprentice of Obi-Wan Kenobi, and that he will be the one to supervise my training."

Obi-Wan, for his part, merely gaped like a Quarren out of water. "But I...Revan...you...this isn't...I don't even-"

Revan slapped his back, making him stumble much like Naruto did. Speaking of which, said blonde was finally recovering from the massive block of permacrete that had been unceremoniously shoved into his maw, spitting out a few teeth and chunks of rock as he stood. The rest merely stared at him, and he shrugged.

"What? They'll grow back."

Obi-Wan sighed. "Well, no point in standing around. Those droids are bound to figure out a way around our cannons. I'm going to go check on Rex at the lookout post."

Revan stopped him before he left. "Ah-ah-ah, make sure to take your padawan with you, _Master_ Kenobi."

Obi-Wan merely growled at her, then nodded. "All right. Come along, Ahsoka."

She nodded, and followed. As he left, he heard Naruto's parting remark. "Aww, don't they look so cute together?"

Obi-Wan growled. He wondered idly if tossing Naruto off a cliff would be considered justifiable homicide, but thought better of it.

Revan would carve his face in, after all.

* * *

><p><strong>HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRREEEEEE'S JOHNNY!<strong>

**I kid, frightened children in the back of the room. It is merely I, your humble story writer. I took one look at the current list of episodes in ST:TCW, and decided that I'd make an entire separate story for it. It's basically just picking up from where the other one left off, so no worries. You have missed nothing.**

**Ch. 1 is all finished, now I just have to work on Ch. 2. The toils I go through to make you guys happy...such a price I'm willing to pay.**

**Ja Ne,**

**Sgt. Assassin**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Second Wave**

_**Undisclosed Location...**_

The figure of Count Dooku hovered before a cloaked individual, who was surrounded by several Super Battle Droids at attention.

"I have brought Jabba's son to the abandoned monastery per your request, Master." the figure spoke, "He will be...safe...here."

Dooku's holoimage nodded. "**Good, good. Everything is going as planned.**"

The lighting in the room brightened slightly, and the pale face of Asajj Ventress smiled softly. "Yes, my lord."

Without hesitation, a second holoimage joined the two, causing Ventress to kneel before it instantly.

"**Soon, the Jedi will not only be at war with YOU, Count, but the Hutt clan, as well_. _As you so splendidly illustrated, everything is going according to plan.**"

* * *

><p><em><strong>Christophsis...<strong>_

"What's the status report, Rex?" Obi-Wan asked, walking up the last few steps and greeting his clone commander with a warm handshake.

"All's quiet for now, sir. It seems the droids are gearing up for yet another assault." he replied, before looking over at Ahsoka. "...Who's the youngling?"

Ahsoka huffed indignantly. "I'm Master Kenobi's new Padawan. The name's Ahsoka Tano."

Rex simply stared with a vacant expression on his face, before turning to Obi-Wan. "...You said you would never take a Padawan...EVER."

Obi-Wan blushed slightly at being caught out in the open like that. "I didn't say NEVER, Rex. Just that I didn't think I was capable of training one during this war."

Rex leveled him a deadpan look. "To be frank, sir, your exact words were: 'I wouldn't be caught dead having a Padawan. Naruto would never let me hear the end of it, and Revan would make up cute pet names for the poor sap.'"

Obi-Wan groaned and palmed his face, while Ahsoka giggled like a schoolgirl. "THAT IS SOOO CUTE!"

Rubbing his eyes, he shook his head. "Not now, Ahsoka. Just...not now."

She shrugged. "Fine." He sighed, then she spoke again. "Later, then."

Obi-Wan felt like crying while Rex let out a boisterous laugh. "Ahh, I like her. She'll be just the thing you need to get you away from all the poise and self-inflicted dignity that you torture yourself with. Well, not as much as Naruto, but it'll still help."

Obi-Wan looked at Rex. "Kindly shut it."

Rex shrugged. "Whatever you say, _Master._"

Obi-Wan idly considered tossing Rex off a cliff, but thought better of it. He didn't want to have to train a new Padawan AND a new commander. One was plenty, thank you.

"Regardless, we're getting off-topic. What is-" Obi-Wan stopped when a mechanical whir echoed through the air.

"What was that?" asked Ahsoka.

Rex looked around for a second, and paled when he spotted the origin of the sound. "General...we're in some SERIOUS trouble."

Obi-Wan turned his head, and could only nod in agreement as a red energy shield began slowly expanding over the bridge dividing the Republic and Separatist encampments.

Rex turned to Ahsoka. "I don't have time for the full speech, so listen carefully. On the battlefield, rank and authority mean nothing. Experience trumps rank in my book, and the battlefield always agrees with that. So, if you're looking to prove yourself and get some experience, with THAT energy shield coming our way, it's going to make things damn near impossible. So, I hope you're ready, young one. Because you're about to get a HELL of a lot of experience."

Ahsoka could only nod as Rex began shouting orders to his troops, clones scrambling left and right to set up perimeter defenses and find some way to counteract that energy shield. Obi-Wan motioned for her to follow, and she did so.

"Can Rex handle things here himself?" she asked.

Obi-Wan nodded. "He's one of the best we have, and probably second only to Cody. I'd dare say they're evenly matched. He'll be fine."

Ahsoka shook her head. "No one is going to be fine if we can't get that energy shield down."

As they leapt over fallen buildings and debris, Obi-Wan could only agree with her.

* * *

><p>Upon reaching the command center, Obi-Wan immediately relayed the report, and Revan grimmaced.<p>

"It looks like they're slowly increasing the diameter, and keeping it just ahead of their troops."

Naruto shook his head. "Heavy cannons will be useless against that."

Obi-Wan looked at the holomap of the city. "We could try and draw them into the buildings. Level the playing field a bit."

Revan nodded. "That still leaves us without any cannons, though, and we have limited detpacks to deal with their tanks."

Ahsoka turned to Naruto. "If that shield is such a problem, why not get rid of it?"

Silence permeated the table, and Naruto grinned. "Ben, you've got yourself one HELL of a Padawan."

Ahsoka blushed deeply at the praise, but Rex put a damper on that. "It's easier said than done. We're talking about a heavily guarded and heavily fortified area. There are going to be multitudes of battle droids, and more than a few tanks guarding it."

Obi-Wan nodded. "It's too risky."

Revan put her hands on her hips. "But what other choice do we have? Wait for them to get close enough? They'll tear our cannons apart the second they get in range."

Naruto sighed. "Jeez, do I have to do everything? How about I go take care of it? I AM a one-man army, after all."

Revan shook her head. "An army means jack against artillery fire. You'll be torn to shreds."

Naruto threw his hands up. "Fine, then I take someone with me."

Rex shook his head. "I have to lead my troops. I can't go anywhere."

Revan and Obi-Wan also shook their heads. "We need to stay here and guard the cannons. It's going to take all we have just to slow them down."

Naruto turned to Ahsoka. "Well, I guess you're coming with me, little one."

She blinked. "M-me?"

Naruto patted her on the head. "First mission, and you get to blow something up. Lucky you." He turned to Obi-Wan. "You're okay with this?"

Obi-Wan nodded. "She's the only one we can spare."

Naruto grinned. "Right. Well, let's get a move on, Snips."

Ahsoka smirked. "Right behind you, Skyguy."

* * *

><p>As the shield steadily enveloped the landscape, the droid army continued it's daunting advance, undeterred by the continuous fire of the Republic's cannons. The heavy artillery struck the shield, and harmlessly dispersed across its' breadth.<p>

As the droids neared the halfway mark on the bridge, the tanks swerved slightly to avoid a large chunk of debris, and the droids parted like a river with a boulder to go around it.

Suddenly, the debris began to shift slightly. No one took notice, figuring the passing army was causing the bridge to shake slightly, thus moving it. Wave after wave of battle droids and AAT's diverted their course slightly to avoid the debris, until the last tank swerved right and avoided the metal box, continuing on its' mission.

Several seconds passed before the box began to move, scuttling quietly across the ground as the army continued its' advance.

Inside the box, Ahsoka was getting twitchy. "This is a STUPID plan! We should be fighting these guys instead of sneaking around like a bug on the kitchen floor."

Naruto grinned at her. "Shinobi Lesson #1: Stealth is a ninja's greatest asset. If used correctly, it can defeat entire armies with ease. Art of Warfare Lesson #4: Don't go to the enemy, when you can let the enemy come to you. We may not be able to cross their lines, but if we let their lines cross us..."

Realization dawned in Ahsoka's eyes, and she immediately had a newfound respect for Naruto. "Tell me why you aren't a Master, again?"

Naruto shrugged. "Something about me not having much patience."

Ahsoka blinked. "Really? Well, I don't see-"

She cut herself off when he stood and flipped the box off of them, grabbing her wrist and flinging a tri-pronged kunai in the direction of their target. "Less talk, more action. Let's do this!"

She nearly puked as she felt gravity distort around her, and suddenly she was in front of the generator, Naruto pocketing the strange weapon as she fell to her knees and dry-heaved.

Naruto grinned sheepishly. "Sorry about that. I should have given you advanced warning."

Ahsoka could only nod as she stood up. "Yeah, well...at least we're here."

"Yep. Now, let's do something about this generator of theirs."

* * *

><p>"This is bad...this is REALLY bad."<p>

Obi-Wan scoffed. "The _great_ Jedi General Revan Namikaze...afraid of a little energy shield? I don't believe it."

"Were I not busy fighting for my life, I'd smack you one."

"Jubilant Statement: This unit think this is rather fu-"

"Can it, HK!"

The shield had finally reached their encampment, and no sooner had it passed over them had each side opened fire, the clones doing their best against the droid's superior firepower and numbers. Revan had to watch a good many clones die as she fell back with the rest of them, her lightsabers deflecting blaster bolts left and right.

"We can't hold this up forever, Ben. Naruto needs to get that shield down now, or we're cooked."

Obi-Wan couldn't disagree with her. They were slowly being pushed back to their cannon line, and if they managed to destroy them, it was game over for them.

Obi-Wan turned to Rex. "We've GOT to protect those cannons at all costs. Tell all of your men to fall back, and tell Cody's to do the same. HOLD THE LINE!"

"But sir-"

"THAT'S AN **ORDER**, CAPTAIN!"

Hesistating for a brief second, Rex nodded and relayed the message to Cody, as both commanders ordered their troops back to the cannon line.

Revan looked at Obi-Wan. "Really know how to put the fear of Kami in your troops, huh?"

Obi-Wan nodded. "It's necessary. We're in for a rough fight, as is."

She nodded, and all three of them bum-rushed the line of battle droids, HK providing cover fire against the tanks as Obi-Wan and Revan carved a swath through the battle droids, blades whirling as metal and sparks flew through the air.

One tank turned and aimed it's cannon directly at Obi-Wan, who crushed the end of it with the Force. The tank operator didn't notice, and proceeded to let loose a shell at Obi-Wan, which promptly caused the whole thing to tear itself apart in a ghastly explosion, wiping out several dozen droids standing nearby.

Revan threw one of her sabers through the line of droids, carving a good many in half as she continued her acrobatic dance of death, mechanical wails following each new attack. Carving off the head of one droid, she backflipped and landed on an SBD, then promptly buried her saber in its' head, causing it to groan before falling to the ground.

Yet despite all their efforts, the droids eventually surrounded them, and AAT's leveled their barrels at the three.

One tank opened its' hatch, and the Separatist General poked his stout frame out from within. "I believe that this is game over, Generals Kenobi and Namikaze."

Revan was about to retort, but Obi-Wan beat her. "You're right." She looked at him like he'd proposed a threesome with HK. "We surrender."

The general nodded. "Take their weapons." Revan growled, but let the Super Battle Droid take her two sabers from her hands, another doing the same with HK and Obi-Wan.

"Now, Generals, order your troops to stand down." The general began, but finished his sentence with an odd look, on that was reciprocated by Revan. Obi-Wan levitated several pieces of debris and set them down in front of them, forming a table with three chairs.

"General, please have a seat."

The general scratched his head. "Have you gone mad?" Revan was finding it hard to disagree with the man.

"We've conceded the battle. Now all that is left to do is simply negotiate the terms of surrender."

A lightbulb went off in Revan's head, but she kept this realization to herself, as the Separatist General nodded. "Very well. I suppose this is appropriate, but don't try any of your _tricks_, Jedi."

Obi-Wan shook his head. "Surely there isn't any reason we cannot be civilized about this, right?"

The rear hatch opening was his answer, and Obi-Wan held back a shitfaced grin as the general got out of his tank and walked over, sitting down at the table as Revan and Obi-Wan did the same.

"Tis a rare honor to meet one's opponent. Face to face, no less." He began. "You're a legend throughout the Inner Core."

Revan nodded. "Indeed, it is a great honor to meet you, General..."

"Whorm Loathsom. And please, the honor is all mine. I'm so GLAD you decided to surrender."

Revan nodded. "Well, as much as I am loathe to admit, sometimes one must accept the reality of the situation."

Obi-Wan agreed. "Yes, now onto the matter of care for our troops. I'm sure this shouldn't take too long."

* * *

><p><em><strong>In orbit above Christophsis...<strong>_

Out of hyperspace, 4 _Acclamator-I_ class Assault Ships, surrounded by 3 _Venator-_class Republic Cruisers entered orbit, staring down at 3 _Lucrehulk-_class Droid Control Ships and 4 Banking Clan Comm Ships. For all intents and purposes, the Republic attack force and the Separatist blockade were evenly matched.

On board the lead ship, the Admiral turned to his commander. "Report."

"We've reached Christophsis, sir, but the Separatist blockade is holding."

"Deploy the fleet. Have the frigates protect the transports, and have the cruisers provide covering fire for both."

"Yes, sir."

Jedi Master Yoda entered the command center, and the Admiral turned to face him.

"Admiral. Hurry, we must, if we are to aid General Kenobi and General Namikaze."

"It will not be easy to breach the blockade, Master Yoda. It's what destroyed our relief ships before."

"Last time, not as many ships you had. Get past it, we must. Get past it...we WILL."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Christophsis...<strong>_

"Okay, now all we have to do is-"

"Hold it." Naruto interrupted, holding his hand out to stop Ahsoka from leaping forward. "Something off about this. Like Rex said, there should be a small army guarding this place, but there isn't."

Ahsoka turned to him. "Isn't that a good thing?"

Naruto shook his head. "No, it's not. The Seps KNOW they're fucked if we take this thing out, so why aren't they guarding it. It's definitely a trap."

Before Ahsoka could reply, Naruto created a clone and pulled her down. The clone cautiously leapt over the debris, and walked forward. It hadn't gotten but ten meters before it tripped a sensor, causing the ground beneath it to crumble and a scrap battle droid to erupt from beneath its' feet. It backflipped out of the way, but in doing so, tripped several more sensors, each releasing a droid from beneath the ground.

"I knew it. They had droids lie here in wait for any unsuspecting passerby's. Good thing I'm a cl-"

A cloud of smoke erupted from the clone, signaling its' untimely death as a laser bolt screamed through its' chest. Behind the rubble, Naruto formed a cross seal. Several hundred clones burst into existence around the area, most triggering the remaining underground droids upon appearance.

While the clones battle the droids, Naruto and Ahsoka snuck past the fighting to the generator.

"Okay, plant the charges."

Ahsoka nodded, and did as she was told, placing one charge on each of the legs of the tripod support structure.

Noticing his clones were almost finished with the droids, Naruto turned to Ahsoka. "All finished?"

She nodded, then her eyes widened as she saw a battle droid sneak up on Naruto. Before she could warn him of the impending danger, he pushed her to the side and backflipped over it, red blaster bolts screaming through the area where he previously stood. A blue orb the size of his fist appeared in Naruto's hand, and he drove it into the droid with a cry of, "Rasengan!" The machine stood no chance as the chakra ball tore through it like a knife through wet paper, and he landed on the ground with a huff.

"Scrap heaps, the lot of them." he muttered, and turned to his remaining clones, 15 in total.

"Got the last of them?"

"**Yes, boss.**", came the chorused reply.

"Good job, guys. Dispel yourselves."

With a nod from each of them, the area briefly filled with smoke. When it cleared, the copies of Naruto were gone, and Ahsoka was left standing there in stunned disbelief.

He put a hand on her shoulder, getting her attention. "Didn't take me literally when I said I can be a one-man army, did you?"

She merely shook her head.

"Surprised?"

She nodded.

"Get used to it."

* * *

><p>As the shield continued to advance, the remaining clones fell back further and further, taking heavy losses as they established a final defensive line to protect the heavy cannons.<p>

A clone trooper ran over, dodging several blaster bolts and skidding to a stop behind the rubble Rex was taking cover at.

"Sir, grave news. Generals Namikaze and Kenobi have been captured. My unit has been wiped out. There's no one else left."

"Son of a Hutt!" Rex swore, slamming his hand against the rock. He turned to his companion, Commander Cody, who merely nodded. He knew exactly what his partner was thinking, and he agreed wholeheartedly.

"We've GOT to hold out. We can't let those droids reach the cannons. If we have any hope of repelling them, it will be dead once those cannons are gone. KEEP FIGHTING!"

Leaping over the debris, Rex lead the charge, Cody in hot pursuit as several clones meshed together and, with a battle roar, surged forward into the advancing army, spraying hot blaster fire left and right as they met the droids at the line, both sides fighting hard as the shield continued to advance.

"Don't give in, take them down!" yelled Cody, smashing his blaster rifle into the head of a B1, then kicking an SBD in the chest, forcing it to back up into several more before Cody turned them into scrap. His blaster rifle clicked a few times, and he hurled the empty and useless weapon at a droid, taking it down as it ripped its' head off. He pulled out a blaster pistol and began pegging droids in the head, making each shot count.

Rex was in the thick of it, his dual blaster pistols searing circuits and melting metal. A spinning roundhouse kick to a droid caused it to snap its' head to the side, severing connections to the rest of its' body as it slumped to the ground.

Palming a thermal detonator, he slapped it on the back of an SBD, then kicked the droid hard into a group of them, the droid steadying itself only to realize it was a ticking time bomb. The droid exploded, taking 5 more SBD's with it.

Looking around, Rex could see his troops fighting hard, but they were taking too many losses. If that shield didn't come down soon, they were done for. As it is, he had to order a retreat so the could regroup.

He sounded the order, and Cody followed his lead, the clones pulling back to the debris line where they set up defenses again, fewer in number this time, but having bought a little more time for their efforts.

* * *

><p>"And of course, once you take custody of my men, arrangements will have to be made in further detail for their food and shelter. Tell me, do you believe you have the accommodations necessary to-"<p>

"ENOUGH OF THIS!" roared General Whorm, cutting Obi-Wan off. Revan merely continued to gaze impassionately at the general, while Obi-Wan had a pleasant smile on his face.

"You're stalling, Kenobi. For what, I don't know, but whatever it is, you're stalling."

"Nonsense, General. You should know that there are numerous details to be discussed, and there are many things we have yet to-"

With a roar, Whorm flipped the table, and pointed a finger at the two. "Seize them!"

Unceremoniously, both Obi-Wan and Revan were hoisted into the air by their arms. "If you don't call off your troops RIGHT NOW, I will have NO CHOICE but to destroy you!"

Obi-Wan sighed, and looked at Revan. She sighed as well, and turned to the general. "Truthfully, I was hoping your shield would be knocked out right about-"

* * *

><p>Naruto blinked. "Oh, I almost forgot something."<p>

Ahsoka looked at him. "What's that."

He grinned, and with a push of a button, the whole generator exploded in a shower of fire, metal and sparks.

"That."

* * *

><p>"-now." With that, even as the realization dawned on General Whorm's face, the red energy of the shield began to retract and dissipate, a grin reaching both Jedi's faces as the tide once again turned in their favor.<p>

Turning to Obi-Wan, Revan jerked her head in their 'captors' direction. "Shall we?"

Obi-Wan shrugged. "If we must."

Both Jedi swung their legs up, fully inverting themselves before ripping their arms out of the battle droids' grasp, using the Force to reclaim their lightsabers. The droids they stood atop had no chance as they carved a nice little hole in their neural processors, simultaneous groans coming from both before they leapt off of them to avoid blaster fire from the nearby SBD's.

As Whorm watched in abstract horror, Obi-Wan and Revan danced around the battlefield, effortlessly dispatching his soldiers seemingly without a care. Within a minute, his troops lay in heaps around him, and a red lightsaber was pointed at his neck.

"Hmm, something seems to have happened to your shield, General. Now, I wonder how your tanks will fair against our cannons?" growled Revan.

Obi-Wan chuckled. "Naruto sure does know how to take his time. I just hope he brings my apprentice back in one piece."

Revan smiled at him reassuringly. "Don't worry. My husband would NEVER jeopardize your Padawan's safety."

Obi-Wan nodded. "Of course."

* * *

><p>Behind the line, Cody and Rex were racking their brains as to how to stop the droids' advance, when the shield suddenly stopped advancing. So, too, did the army. The shield wavered, flickered, then began to dissipate, the droids looking around in confusion.<p>

Rex wasted no time. He turned to the cannon operators, and gave the order. "FIRE ON THOSE TANKS!"

The cannons took a second to aim, loaded their shells, and rained hot energy down on the droid army, their confusion quickly replaced with panic as tank after tank exploded in a shower of hot molten metal and flame. While the droids continued to advance, their forces were quickly being wiped out, as the shield had left them exposed with no cover to speak of.

Obi-Wan and Revan were headed back over to their encampment, with the captured General Whorm in tow, when Obi-Wan's comm beeped. Flicking it on, the holoimage of Admiral Wullf Yularen greeted him.

"General Kenobi, if you can here me, we've finally made it through the blockade. The Separatist armada is in full retreat, and your reinforcements should be arriving there shortly."

Even as he said this, scores of Republic Gunships began flying overhead, prompting smiles to appear on their faces. Cheers could be heard from the remaining clones as the LAAT's did a low fly-by, boosting morale to its' highest in months.

A dropship landed next to the two, and it opened its' atmospheric doors to reveal Master Yoda.

"Impeccable timing as always, Master Yoda." greeted Obi-Wan. Revan merely pushed Whorm forward.

"We went ahead and got you a present, Master." she said grinning. "Hope you like it."

Another dropship landed, and Naruto and Ahsoka climbed out of it, before Naruto signaled for them to take off. "So, did you get the bad guy, Rev?"

She nodded, and embraced him with a smile. "I see you played your part well."

She shrugged. "Sometimes letting others do the talking is much easier."

Naruto blinked. "Ben pulled that off?" He shot a look at said man. "Bravo, myboy. Bravo, indeed."

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. "Oh, you're too kind."

Naruto shrugged. "Well, if you say so. No more compliments for you."

Obi-Wan was by his side in an instant. "I never said that."

Naruto cupped his ear. "I'm sorry, what was that? I couldn't hear you over the sound of your desperation."

Obi-Wan grabbed Naruto, and began to shake him. "Why. Must. You. Be. So. Annoying?"

Naruto's head bobbed back and forth, but he managed a response. "...part...of the...job...description...Ben..."

Obi-Wan tossed him to the floor, and Naruto's indignant yell was ignored. He turned to Ahsoka. "Do NOT take after that man. Ever."

Ahsoka nodded, even though she had her fingers crossed behind her back. "Yes, Master~"

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 2 is finished, and it's...well, it's coming along. I don't exactly have all the time in the world, right now, but I'm making do with what I DO have, and am trying to find time to write. I'd also like to point out why I kept Ahsoka's nickname for Naruto 'Skyguy':<strong>

**1. Because by my logic, Sky = Air, Air = Wind, Kaze is Japanese for Wind, and Namikaze is part of Naruto's name. Ta-da.**

**2. I spent a good 30 minutes thinking of, and looking for, any trait that would fit Naruto AND rhyme with something. Needless to say, I found nothing.**

**So in the end, I'll stick with Skyguy. Feel free to suggest other names, but remember, they have to fit two criteria: It has to have a character trait that Naruto possesses,(ex: Hair color, Kyuubi, Attitude, etc.) and it has to rhyme (good luck getting 'orange' to rhyme with anything).**

**-Sgt. Assassin**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: The Hunt for Jabba's Son**

"This? This is bullcrap." grumbled Naruto, hacking his way through the dense foliage of the Teth jungles. Ahsoka smiled to herself and shook her head.

They'd learned, through the resourcefulness of two veteran Scout Troopers, that the bounty hunters Jabba had hired to find his son had discovered a possible location of the missing Huttlet: the B'omarr Monastery on Teth. Secondary scouting and reconnaissance had turned that possibility into fact, as several ships had landed and deposited Separatist droids onto the Monastery's grounds, rather ironic for being a purported place of peace.

After being informed of this development, and the lack of return on the bounty hunters' part, it was decided that Naruto and Ahsoka would take up the challenge, and attempt to scale the imposing cliffside. First things first, however, they needed to clear a path through the foliage, so their tanks could make it without incident.

Hence, why Naruto was griping.

"'Sir, would you mind clearing a path for us? You've got that strange ability of yours that allows you to duplicate yourself, and your lightsaber would SURE come in handy."' he mimicked in a low-pitched voice, mocking Rex's seemingly benign request of his assistance. "Go from being General Namikaze to General Janitor in the space of a heartbeat. Friggin' HATE menial labor."

"Maybe if you stopped griping about it, you could get it done faster, Master." offered Ahsoka, her smile hidden behind her hand.

Rounding on her, he holstered his lightsaber even as his shadow clones continued cutting a suitable path.

"Maybe if you stopped picking on me ever five minutes, I'd stop griping!" he argued, arms flailing in a rather comical manner. This only served to break Ahsoka's restraint on her laughter. He folded his arms and pouted.

Composing herself somewhat, she patted his back. He swatted at her hand. "Come now, Master. Rex asked you for a favor. Most troopers don't ask their commanding officer for favors. It shows just how much he trusts you, you know?"

Naruto sighed, and nodded. "I know. I'm just stressed, is all."

Ahsoka blinked. "Why's that?"

"Well, I have a feeling I know who's behind this kidnapping, but I don't want to jump to conclusions."

Ahsoka's eyes widened a little. "Really? Who?"

Naruto shook his head. "I'm not going to say until I have definitive proof."

It was Ahsoka's turn to pout. "Aww, that's not fair, Master~"

He grinned. "Turnabout's fair play, Padawan."

She huffed, but grinned. Their playful banter was interrupted by Rex. "So, finished with the path, General?"

Naruto shot him a look. "Sure that isn't 'Janitor'?"

Rex laughed. "If only."

Naruto mumbled something about defunct commanders, but Rex shook his head. "In all seriousness, are we nearly ready?"

Nodding in the direction of the now-cleared pathway, Naruto nodded. "Yes, and no." At their looks of confusion, he elaborated. "We have a working path, now, but I had to keep it small, so it wouldn't attract attention from the Monastery. We can only go single file with the tanks, but once we clear the jungle, we should be able to spread them out. The key is to keep undetected until then."

Nodding, Rex turned and made the signal for the troops to gear up. "Right, then. We'll make sure to keep a low profile until then."

Watching their forces work their way into single file, Naruto reconsidered their plan of attack. '_No, this is the best course possible. Slow and steady wins the race, they say. Stealth is also part of a ninja's repertoire. If we were to go barreling in with guns ablazing, we'd attract unwanted attention, and put ourselves under __heavy fire. This way, we can get into position before they even know we're there.'_

Nodding to himself, he leapt forward to follow the caravan even as Ahsoka leapt after him.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Space Above Tatooine...<strong>_

"Sure, Naruto gets the fun missions, while we're stuck doing delegation." grumbled Revan.

Obi-Wan grinned. "Beats having to scale a mountain."

She pouted. "But I _wanted_ to scale a mountain!"

Shaking his head with a grin, he directed his starfighter to land outside Jabba's palace, Revan following suit as the massive steel door opened, letting Jabba's personal translator and several guards exit to greet them.

"What do you think about Jabba? His mood, I mean." she asked him.

Obi-Wan shrugged. "Honestly? I don't know. We can only hope that he's in a decent one."

The translator droid stopped before them. "The Mighty and Gracious Jabba has been expecting your arrival. We mustn't keep him waiting." Turning around, it hastened back to the doorway, the guards following.

Looking at one another, they nodded before heading inside.

* * *

><p><em><strong>B'omarr Monastery...<strong>_

"Sergeant, for the last time, NO! You cannot be relieved of guard duty because you're BORED!"

"But Commander! This is pointless! The only ones who knew we were here were those bounty hunters, and they're dead. Surely we can relax."

"If you want to relax, that's you're prerogative. But don't come wailing to me when Commander Ventress guts you for slacking on the job."

The sergeant made to reply, but was cut off as the ground shook slightly. Looking down at their feet, they watched as several pebbles jerked and tumbled to and fro, the ground starting to shake with stronger and stronger tremors.

"What the...soldier, report!"

Whipping around to face his commander, the scout droid held up his hands. "I don't know, sir. We've seen no sign of any intruders, nor have we seen any fighters, vehicles, tanks, infantry-"

"Alright! I get it. Any idea as to the source of these tremors?"

He was about to reply, but a sudden increase in the strength of the tremors caused him to pause. A faint scraping noise could be heard, and the sergeant cocked his head. "Sir? That scraping. It sounds...like...metal?"

The commander's head whipped around, his hand in the air to signal the rest of the troops. "BATTLE STATIONS! WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!"

No sooner had he given the command then an AT-TE crested the lip of the mountain, its' turret cannon coming to bear as it locked onto the nearest enemy, which unfortunately happened to be them.

The commander widened its' neural processors slightly as the sergeant summed up their collective feelings: "Motherf-"

The three droids were blasted into scrap as troopers crested the lip as well, their rifles discharging blue bolts immediately. Droids fell in heaps of twisted scrap as the Republic's ambush worked perfectly, completely catching the droids off-guard. More AT-TE's pulled themselves over the ledge, setting up a rather imposing perimeter as Naruto and Ahsoka leapt off one, landing and surveying the droid remains. A few pockets of resistance were visible, but otherwise they'd secured the landing platform and outer courtyard.

After the last of the droids were mopped up, Naruto, Ahsoka, and Rex convened.

"That was...surprisingly easy, sir."

Naruto shrugged. "When you've been a ninja for as long as I have, stealth becomes second-nature."

Ahsoka chuckled. "And yet, you seldom employ it in your everyday life."

"Hush."

Rex couldn't help but smile. "She's got a point, sir. If you were more inclined to be...less rambunctious, I could foresee the Jedi Council readily accepting you as a Master."

Naruto shrugged. "If they can't accept me as I am, then I'd rather not be a Master, Rex. I hope they see that before long." He jerked a thumb at the open doorway. "Now, let's get in there and rescue that tiny bundle of irritation."

As they made their way inwards, Ahsoka poked his shoulder. "Master, you shouldn't talk about children like that. It's mean."

Naruto scoffed, even as Rex and the accompanying soldiers turned on their floodlights to see better in the dark hallway. "Sure, because being nice to Hutts has always been rewarded in kind."

"I didn't mean it like that. I meant be nice because it's an innocent; it didn't ask for this, and it certainly didn't want it."

Naruto sighed, and made to turn to face her. "I know, it's just-" Whirling around, he ignited his saber, the blade stopping centimeters from a rather frightened droid. Naruto relaxed slightly as he noticed the droid's features, clearly marking it as a non-Trade Federation model. However, he kept his guard up, wary of treachery.

"Who are you, and why are you here?"

The droid completely ignored his request. "Oh, thank you, kind sirs..." It paused and regarded Ahsoka, before making an addendum to its' statement. "...and ma'am. You have saved me from those dreaded battle bots. I am ever so grateful."

Sheathing his lightsaber, Naruto regarded it with an eye, reiterating his previous question. "Who are you, and why are you here?"

"I am merely a humble caretaker of this proud establishment, kind sir."

"Where's the Hutt?"

It seemed to think for a moment. "The battle bots kept their prisoners on the lower levels, in the detention area. I wouldn't recommend going down there. It's rather...dangerous, especially for a servant girl." He finished, pointedly looking at Ahsoka.

She glared at the droid. "Does a servant girl carry THIS?" Igniting her own blade, she placed hers where Naruto's had been, and the droid seemed to sweat. "I'm not a servant girl. I'm a Jedi Knight."

"Yeah, and I'm Supreme Chancellor."

Letting her lightsaber turn off, she glared at Naruto, who put his hands up in a placating gesture. "Just saying. You're a Padawan; you're not a Knight yet, young one."

Scoffing, she pushed past the droid and deeper into the chamber. Turning, Naruto regarded Rex, who'd been silent throughout the entire exchange. "Commander, I'll need you to keep an eye out for any droids we missed. Think you can handle that?"

Rex grinned at the intended barb. "Who do you think you're talking to, sir?"

Naruto slapped his back, the clone stumbling forward before rubbing his armor. "That's my boy! See you when we get back!" Waving, he ran after his fuming charge, Rex shaking his head at his commander's antics.

* * *

><p>Deeper in the bowels of the monastery, Ventress, surrounded by B-2 Battle Droids, whipped a communicator out of her robes, thumbing the switch as Count Dooku's visage appeared.<p>

"They have taken the monastery, Master. From your description, I can assume that this Naruto you mentioned is here, as well as what appears to be a Padawan. They're on their way to rescue the Hutt."

"_**Well done, Ventress. All is going according to plan. You should tread carefully around Namikaze, though. He is a formidable foe."**_

"I could easily take them now, Master."

"_**No, you mustn't engage Namikaze. He is too much for you to handle, Ventress. That aside, you must have patience. You must collect the data I need. If you do encounter the Jedi, you may deal with the Padawan as you wish, but leave Namikaze unmolested. He would dispatch you with ease, with your skills as they are now."**_

Growling to herself, Ventress nodded nonetheless. She would obey her Master...for now. Switching the communique off, she turned to regard a commander droid. "Report."

"Mistress, the Jedi have entered the dungeons."

Nodding, she let the droid leave. '_So, I can only have fun with ONE Jedi, huh? No matter. Master may be right regarding this Namikaze, but I will have enough power soon. Eventually, even Count Dooku will fall before me, let alone this blonde miscreant.'_

* * *

><p>Naruto casually strolled down the corridor, already having a location on the Hutt. Ahsoka was not concerened with that, however.<p>

"Master, can we PLEASE just do something?"

Ignoring her, he groaned inwardly as she continued. "You know you're walking us into a trap, right?"

"Yes, Ahsoka, I know."

"Then shouldn't we DO something about it? I can take care of them now. PLEASE?"

Sighing, he turned to her. "If you're SO inclined to do so, by all means."

Grinning, she ignited her saber, the green blade shooting out and stabbing a droid in the gut, its' whimper cut off as she bisected it with a flick of her wrist, a second droid falling as she decapitated it. The third managed to get a shot off, but she deflected it easily enough, her saber carving though the barrel of its' blaster before she sliced through its' chest, the droid falling to the ground with a groan.

Turning, she beamed up at Naruto with a look that made his heart burst. '_Such unbridled joy and spirit for one so young. Never mind the fact that she just sliced and diced three droids; she looks like a kid in a candy store. Can't believe I'm so proud of a Padawan that isn't even mine.'_

"How did I do, Master?"

He smiled back at her, and she grinned. "Pretty good, Ahsoka. Although..." Reaching to his left, his hand enclosed around a droid's head, and the screeching sound of metal crumpling made Ahsoka push her hands against her ears. '_Like nails on a chalkboard'_ she thought idly. Several sparks shot from the droid's crushed head, and Naruto released it as it slumped to the floor.

"...you missed one." Turning around, he was able to hide his smirk as she stared at the droid's head...or what was left of it. "Remind me to never get on your bad side, Master." she quipped. Naruto would have dignified her with a response, but they'd reached the Hutt's holding cell, and he told her as much. Sticking a finger out, Ahsoka watched in disbelief as he slowly pushed it through the slit between the door jam and the door itself, the metal squealing in protest as his finger pushed it aside.

Curling the digit around the other side of the door, he applied some of his infamous strength and flew the door open, said object slamming into its' slide with a _BANG_. A wailing cry greeted them, and Naruto's eyes widened at the tiny Huttlet that greeted them, even as Ahsoka cooed upon seeing the baby Hutt.

"He's a LOT smaller than I thought he'd be." he remarked.

"_Ohh_, he's SO CUTE!" she squealed, and he could only palm his face as she bent and picked him up. "He's just a tiny thing. This will make our job a LOT easier. _Isn't he just the _**_sweetest_**_ thing_?"

Naruto banged his head against the durasteel door jam, willing the sweet numbing sensation to envelop his brain, as well. "Yeah, well wait until you see what he grows INTO. Not so cute, then. Trust me."

She glared at him, then returned to making baby noises at the Huttlet, who merely gurgled and grinned up at her. "Don't you listen to Master. He's just a meanie poopie pants."

Banging his head harder against the door, Naruto sighed. "When you're done jibbering to the worm, we've got a mission to complete."

She shrugged and pushed past him, heading for the surface while Naruto mumbled something about women and infants."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Tatooine...<strong>_

"Took every last ounce of willpower I had not to throttle that translator droid." mumbled Revan.

"Now, now, you should take it as a compliment. Not everyone gets asked to be the Hutt's personal concubine. Some would consider it a great honor."

Turning and leveling Obi-Wan with a glare, she dutifully ignored his hand-hidden smirk. "Yeah? Well, where I come from, that makes you nothing more than a common whore, regardless of who you 'belong' to." Huffing, she resumed her trek to their fighters, sending several more glares at the overly-curious Jawas hovering around her craft.

"Scram, you moochers!"

Squealing, the lot scattered as they saw her. Obi-Wan shook his head, but did the same in scaring off the poachers, not wanting part of his craft gone when he made the jump to hyperspace. Flying itself was suicidal enough, he thought. Doing so with parts missing was even worse.

Hopping into the cockpit, he strapped himself in even as he opened a comm channel. "You know, I thought that went rather well, all things considered. We didn't even have to draw weapons once."

Revan's snort came back over the line. "Sure, you might as well go ahead and say 'it'."

Obi-Wan blinked. "What? Something like, 'What can possibly go wrong'?"

Her groan was his answer. "Yeah, like that. Congrats. You've just cursed us."

"Huh?"

"You ought to know that if anyone says that, said person and any party affiliated with them will be fucked."

Obi-Wan scoffed. "Please. That's an old wives' tale. Such superstition doesn't become you, Revan."

"Yeah? Tell that to me when the shit hits the fan."

Shaking his head, his pre-flight checks complete, he let his craft ascend and shoot into the atmosphere, Revan hot on his heels. Little did he know that Revan's quip would prove to be all-too true.

* * *

><p>Watching the Jedi leave the planet's surface, Count Dooku smirked, even as he headed towards the Hutt's palace.<p>

'_Time for a little subterfuge. Let's see if we can end this farce of a contest.'_

Soon, he was standing before Jabba, his smirk still in place even as he bowed slightly, showing respect when it was clear, to him at least, it was not due.

Jabba spoke in his native tongue, and the translator droid was quick to clarify. "**What brings the likes of the Sith to my doorstep?**"

Composing and securing his features, Dooku shifted his cloak so his hood fell back, letting his face bask in the midday sun. "Oh, Mighty Jabba. I come before you with words of wisdom, and yet of great treachery."

Cocking an eyebrow, Jabba spoke again. **"What information do you bring me, Count?**"

Inwardly, he was grinning ear-to-ear. '_Attention garnered. Now to put the nail in the coffin, so to speak.'_ Clearing his throat, he spoke, "Powerful Jabba, it has come to my attention the true nature of the kidnappers. They are none other than the Jedi who seek to aid you, their lies all but palpable in nature."

Gasps of surprise and outrage flitted through the crowd, even as Jabba's roar of indignation filled the room. **"How have you come upon this information, Dooku?"**

"I have my sources to thank, O Great One. More importantly, I bring a solemn warning: The Jedi plan to destroy you. You and your son are marked targets of the Order, so that they may acquire passage through your shipping lanes."

Growling, Jabba leveled a glare at Dooku. "**The Most Wise Jabba demands proof of such steep and heinous accusations."**

"And he shall have it." the Count replied, his head inclined slightly to show absolute faith in his own words. "My apprentice is gathering the evidence as we speak. Wait patiently, Mighty Jabba. You will have your information, and then your son, in short order."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Teth, B'omarr Monastery...<strong>_

"Seriously? I have to carry it? C'mon, Master! He smells!" griped Ahsoka, even as she lugged the not-so-tiny bundle of wailing Huttlet. They were working their way back to Rex and the others, and Naruto was making good on his word, making her carry the Huttlet despite her protests.

"What's the problem, Ahsoka? I thought it was...what was the word you used? 'Cute'?"

Sighing, she shifted the bundle in her arms, the wailing only increasing as he was jostled around. "My Jedi training prepared me for a lot of things, but not this."

Naruto smirked. "Children are something you are NEVER prepared for, Ahsoka. Learn that now, and save yourself the headache later."

She would have responded, but the sudden coughing that cut out the wailing coming from the Hutt caused her to stop. "Master? I think he's sick. He's been doing that more and more, lately."

Stopping as well, Naruto turned and put a hand on it. Grimacing, he nodded. "It's sick, alright. From what I can tell, it's not taking too kindly to the air here. I can stop its' coughing, and make it more comfortable, though the permanent solution is to get it back to Tatooine." Closing his eyes, Naruto used some medical Ninjutsu that he'd learned way back, and the coughing immediately stopped, as a contented look came over the Hutt's face. It cooed, and wrapped its' pudgy hands around Naruto's, sputtering happily.

Ahsoka couldn't help but grin, as Naruto took the infant from her and kept pouring soothing chakra into it, whispering words of comfort to the little Hutt as he started forward again. '_He's such a kind person, despite his attempts to look otherwise. I wish I had a man like th-_" Blushing, she caught herself before she permanently wore that shade of red, and hurried to catch up to Naruto. _'Revan would kill me if she knew I'd just thought that.'_

* * *

><p>Standing on a ledge overlooking the two Jedi, the droid they'd 'rescued' earlier was watching them with a keen look, its' photo receptors flashing so often. Seeming to blink, it turned and headed back into the monastery, stopping next to a hooded figure before reaching out and plugging itself into a communicator. It buzzed momentarily, then disconnected itself from said device and disappeared into the dark.<p>

Grabbing the communicator, Ventress flicked it on, the visage of Count Dooku springing to life. "I have the data you requested, Master."

"**Good. Upload it immediately."** She did as commanded, then blinked at his new orders: "**Your next objective is to retrieve the Hutt. Alive and unharmed, I might add."**

"...Very well, my Master. It shall be done." Flicking the communicator off, she hummed in thought. '_I suppose it makes sense: Jabba wants his son back, and he doesn't really care who it is, so long as the end result is the same. If we reunite him with his son, WE get access to his shipping lanes, instead of the Republic. Clever move, indeed, Count. Alright, it sounds like a rather good plan, so I'll go along with it. After all, I might 'accidentally' encounter that blonde boy, and I might have to 'accidentally' engage him. Even so, as long as I get the whelp, it shouldn't be a problem.'_

Nodding to herself, Ventress melded with the darkness, disappearing as if she'd never been.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Tatooine, Jabba's Palace...<strong>_

Even as the recording ended, Jabba's roar of fury echoed through the halls of the palace.

Dooku spoke, the weight of his words thick and unyielding. "As you can see, I spoke the truth, O Wise One. The Jedi have your son, and are plotting to destroy your lineage as we speak. Truthfully, it brings sadness to my heart to see the Order I once served reduced to thievery, treachery, and underhanded tactics such as this."

Jabba looked as if he would explode. No translation was needed for the next words: "JEDI POODOO!"

"My droid armies have just begun to initiate a rescue operation. You will have your son back, and the Jedi shall suffer greatly for this...injustice."

Jabba seemed to think for a moment, then turned back to the Count. "**The Mighty Jabba wishes to know what compensation he can offer for such a service.**"

'_And the contest is over. Separatists: 1. Republic: 0.'_ he thought, unable to hide a small smile as he bowed. "If the Gracious Jabba would be so inclined, perhaps safe passage though his shipping lanes would be suitable? Or better yet..." He inclined his head with a grin that bordered on wicked. "...perhaps you would consider joining us in our struggle against the Republic? Someone of your high esteem would be most welcome amongst the Separatists."

'_Might as well pull out a pen and parchment. 'Saving' his son will garner much sympathy from Jabba, and he will be highly inclined to join us. With the Hutt clans backing the movement, we can turn the tide of this war decisively in our favor, and strike a major blow against the Republic. It's as good as done.'_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Teth...<strong>_

As Naruto finished explaining the situation to Obi-Wan and Revan, the duo adopted matching postures of deep thought. Naruto smirked. "Becoming twins now, I take it?"

Revan scoffed. "Been around Ben for too long. Started to catch on his quirks." Said man's cry of indignation was ignored. "Regardless, this has Dooku's stench. He's probably using this entire scenario to garner the Hutt's backing. If he acquires a treaty with them, we can kiss the Outer Rim Territories goodbye, as they will all but belong to Dooku. If that wasn't bad enough, Kamino IS in the Outer Rim. If we lose our cloning facilities..."

Naruto nodded, the implication grim. "This war would be over before it even began. The Jedi would buckle under the strain of the war, and the Republic would be finished." Looking down at the Huttlet, he stroked its' head, the youngling cooing as it gurgled happily. "Who knew that one so small could have such a big impact on the fate of the galaxy?"

Revan chuckled. "Same goes for you, dear. You were but a newborn when you saved your village, remember?"

Naruto grinned. "Yeah, I've always been awesome."

Obi-Wan sighed. "Way to inflate his ego, Revan. Not like he needed it, mind you."

Naruto grinned even more. "You're just jealous of my awesomeness."

"Hardly."

His retort was cut off as Ahsoka tapped him on the shoulder. "Masters, we've got a situation." Turning, Naruto's eyes narrowed to slits as he watched two Separatist dropships headed straight for them. He didn't need to turn to know Rex was right behind him. "Commander, I want every gun trained on those dropships. We've got heavy cannons, so I suggest we use them. Concentrate fire on their engines."

"Yes, sir. YOU HEARD HIM, MEN! FIRE ON THOSE SHIPS! TARGET THE ENGINES AND DROP THOSE CLANKERS OUT OF THE SKY!" Rex roared, a chorus of agreements rising as the 6 AT-TE's drew a bead on the dropships, opening fire as soon as they were in range.

While this was taking place, Naruto turned back to the hologram. "Sorry hon, Ben, but we've got to go. Need to focus on the battle, and all that."

Revan huffed as Obi-Wan nodded in agreement. "I'm not that much of a distraction, am I?"

Naruto smiled. "No." At her frown, he finished his statement. "You're much, MUCH more than that."

Smiling, she blew him a kiss before the connection broke, the last words coming from Obi-Wan. "We'll be there as soon as possible. We're already en-route, so try and hold out until we get there."

Turning back to the battle at hand, Naruto noticed the addition of a squad of droid starfighters, the roaring whine distinct as they closed in on their position.

"Orders, sir?"

"You know me too well, Rex. Target the fighters. Take them out, or we'll lose our only defense."

"Already on it, sir."

Orders issued, the AT-TE's turned their attention to the fighters, several going up in flames and billowing smoke. Despite the loss of 3 fighters, the squadron continued to swoop and dive, one AT-TE catching a bolt in the cockpit and exploding, shrapnel and debris killing several clones nearby as the burned chassis of the tank groaned before slamming to the ground.

"KEEP AT IT! BRING THEM DOWN, BRING THEM DOWN!"

The dropships were nearing the landing bay, and the clones were forced to redirect their fire, exposing themselves to counterattack. Regardless, if they let both of those dropships land, they were screwed. They needed at least one taken out, and they got their break when several bolts managed to slip through one ship's shields, striking true on a fuselage and exploding, causing a cascading chain reaction which ripped the lander apart, the other one veering sharply to the right to avoid the flaming wreckage as it plummeted to the jungle below, the burned-out chassis causing severe tremors as it struck the ground.

"One down, one to go." Naruto mumbled, even as a second AT-TE exploded in a hail of flaming metal and screaming troopers. Turning to Ahsoka, he clasped a hand on her shoulder to get her attention, quirking an eyebrow when she blushed. "I need you to take the infant inside the monastery. Can't have our package getting blown up."

Normally, she would have protested, but having Naruto touching her seemed to dissuade that idea, and she merely nodded before taking the proffered infant and heading into the hallway.

Drawing his lightsaber, Naruto leapt onto one of the 4 remaining AT-TE's and used it as a springboard, shooting directly towards a starfighter, his blade carving straight through the left wing.

Using his elemental prowess, he bounced off the air, using it as stepping stones to guide him to the next fighter. Cutting this one down, as well, he landed and groaned as the lone dropship managed to withstand the barrage of fire peppering its' shields, the lander's doors opening to allow several dwarf spider droids to exit, passing though the shield before opening fire on the AT-TE's, providing cover for the B-1, B-2, and droidekas being unloaded.

Flinging his lightsaber, Naruto took care of the last of the fighters, his blade slicing the tip off of the right wing, causing it to spiral wildly into the side of the cliff, shrapnel flying as it impacted the face and exploded. Calling his saber back to him, he sprinted forward to deal with the ground forces.

Even as the battle raged around him, Naruto had a rather foreboding feeling in his gut. It seemed similar to that time in Theed, only this one was a different person; this he could tell.

* * *

><p>Keeping the Hutt snugly secure in the backpack they'd procured from a trooper, Ahsoka sighed and watched from a distance as her master took care of the air support. Startling herself, she blinked as she replayed her last thought in her mind. '<em>MY master? Since when did I start thinking him as MY master? I'm Master Kenobi's Padawan, right? HE should be my master, right?...Right?'<em>

Shaking her head slightly, she didn't miss the sudden spike in killing intent, and rolled to the side as a red blade passed overhead, the blade arching through the air where her neck had just been. Getting to her feet, she drew her lightsaber and blocked a second strike, then a third. Shifting to a defensive position, she glared at the woman across from her. "You sure know how to greet a person, huh?"

"Hand over the infant, and I promise I won't kill you."

"What do you want with the Hutt?"

The woman snarled. "I have my reasons, youngling. Now hand it over, or I ALSO promise I'll kill you."

Ahsoka shook her head. "Tsk, tsk, tsk~ That's no way to talk to someone. We should start from the beginning. I'm Ahsoka, and you are?" '_NICE COMEBACK! Master would be so proud!'_

Roaring, the woman leapt forward, dual lightsabers flashing though the air as she aimed to decapitate her. Rolling out of the way again, Ahsoka took off at a sprint, leading the woman away from the battle outside and deeper into the temple. '_Gotta keep her away from the soldiers. She'd slaughter the lot of them, including Rex.'_

Ducking, she let the saber fly over her head again, the spinning blade coming back to its' owner in a wide arc. Looking around, Ahsoka grinned as she saw a possible opening. '_Let's see just how good she really is.'_

Turning slightly, she ran at a pillar, making sure the other woman followed, before leaping straight at the structure, using her feet to cushion the blow as she bent her knees and propelled herself off of it, using it as a springboard and soaring back towards her attacker, lightsaber poised to end this fight quickly and decisively.

The other woman was caught off-guard, but not enough to warrant her death. Instead, she brought her lightsabers up in a cross guard, and was hurled off her feet when Ahsoka's lightsaber slammed into hers, the force behind the latter's causing her to soar backwards.

Landing on her feet, Ahsoka was disappointed to see the other woman do the same, although her tactic seemed to have partially worked, as the other woman had stopped chasing her.

"So, gonna tell me your name?"

The other woman scowled, but acquiesced. "Ventress. Asajj Ventress. Remember it well, for it is the name of your killer, whelp."

Ahsoka clicked her tongue. "Hmm, killer? Naw, that doesn't sound right. How about sparring partner? I haven't had a lot of action lately, despite the mission we're on. Master seems to like taking care of things himself, so I don't have a lot to do, actually. Maybe I should talk to him about that. Yeah, sounds like a good idea. Oooh, maybe I can get him to-"

"ENOUGH!" Ventress roared, and hurled one of her lightsabers at Ahsoka, who deflected it before hurling her own. The blade spun through the air, and Ventress raised hers to block it, sparks flying as they met and grated against one another. Flinging the blade aside, Ventress' eyes widened when she saw it fly back into the outstretched palm of Ahsoka...who was mere feet from her and closing fast.

'_SHIT!'_ she mentally cursed, calling her second lightsaber back to her, the blade springing to life as she blocked a flurry of blows, each coming too close to her skin for her own liking. '_This child is exceptionally skilled for a Padawan. She knows techniques that Jedi KNIGHTS utilize. I've underestimated her, but I won't do so again. Time to take off the kid gloves, and show her what a REAL swordswoman is capable of.'_

Pushing Ahsoka back, Ventress snapped her hands together, the hilt of each lightsaber pushed together with a resounding '_CLICK'_ before she twirled the doublesaber in the air, bringing one end down in an attempt to decapitate her opponent.

Although surprised, Ahsoka was not caught off-guard, and was able to dodge the swipe, before retreating further into the cavernous temple. '_Crap. I think I'm in trouble. The master at the temple taught me how to face Jar'Kai users, but he didn't teach me how to fight against a doublesaber! I'm so screwed!'_

* * *

><p>Decapitating the last battle droid, Naruto watched as the lander attempted to take off, the pilot obviously fleeing in panic. Forming a cross seal, a single clone popped into being, his hands at the ready as Naruto provided both the chakra and Shape Manipulation, the clone providing the Nature Manipulation.<p>

The clone poofing out of existence as the Rasenshuriken was completed, Naruto heaved back and threw his original technique at the lander, the spinning ball screeching as it soared through the air. It met the right wing of the C-9979 landing craft. Upon coming into contact with said wing, the screeching noise was accompanied by a loud rending noise, as the rotating blades sawed their way through the durasteel plating.

Reaching halfway through the wing, Naruto chose to let it go at that moment, the blade expanding rapidly as it completely sheared the wing off. The appendage barely had time to fall to the earth below before the Rasenshuriken expanded again, this time taking on the form of a giant ball of slicing winds and rotating destruction, the lander partially engulfed in the destruction, the glass around the cockpit shattering with ease as the droids inside were torn to shreds.

As the technique died down, the crumpled mass of metal gave one last cough of protest, before its' engines sparked and the whole thing exploded in a massive display, pieces and parts showering the landscape as it went off like a huge firework, the flaming remains letting gravity take its' course as they plummeted to the ground below.

As the troopers watched the display, some making 'oooh' and 'ahhh' noises and a few even clapping at the wonderful 'show', Naruto was frowning, unable to shake the nagging feeling that something was remiss.

A bolt of electricity shot up his spine, and he turned to stare at the monastery, before taking off in a dead sprint, ignoring the sudden exclamations from the surrounding troopers as he shot into the darkened hallway.

'_AHSOKA!'_

* * *

><p><strong>And a little cliffy! Yay.<strong>

**Now, I want to point this out before anyone even thinks of it: I will not be updating on a regular basis. I'm surprised I've gotten this far, as it is. You may take it for what it's worth, but I'll try and continue this story as much as possible.**

**-Sgt. Assassin**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Rewards and Retributions**

Dodging another overhead sweep, Ahsoka rolled yet again as she backpedaled, panting heavily as she continued to dodge. For the last several minutes, that had been all she'd been capable of, as her unfamiliarity with doublesabers disallowed any form of saber contact.

Stumbling, she lost her footing and cursed, falling to the ground. Ironically, this very slip-up saved her life, as yet another sweep of Ventress' red lightsabers failed to make contact where she'd just been, barely avoiding being bisected.

Scrabbling backwards, she cursed again when her back met rock, the backpack she'd been keeping the Huttlet in scraping against the wall as said infant squealed in protest against the unnatural noise.

"So, out of tricks, are we?"

Growling, Ahsoka merely glared at Ventress, who had one fist on her hips as the other pointed a lightsaber at her nose, her skin prickling at the heat coming off the energy blade. "Now, be a good little bitch and hand over the Hutt."

Swinging her lightsaber, Ahsoka knocked the tip away from her nose, and rolled again, avoiding the second blade as it sheared through the rock wall where her neck had been. Backed into a corner, lightsaber held before her in a futile gesture of defense, Ahsoka willed her legs to not give out as Ventress stalked towards her.

The Sith only had a second to realize they weren't alone, before she backflipped away from the Padawan, a large gash carving itself where she'd just been. Landing in front of Ahsoka, Naruto flipped through several more handsigns before hurling his hands outward: "_**Fuuton: Daitoppa!**_"

Ventress crossed her arms before her, her sabers adopting a cross guard before she was hit by the elemental attack, groaning as she was driven back. Growling, she swept the air, her sabers dispersing the attack before she flung her arm out, intent on slamming the newcomer through the wall.

Growling in reply, Naruto moved his arm in a sweeping motion, using his elemental control to coat his limb in highly pressurized air. He easily deflected the Force Push, the attack crumbling the wall to his left. Ventress through her arm out a second time, and met with the same result. Holstering her blades, she reared back and threw a harder one, putting a good deal of power behind it.

The attack hurled towards him, and he could see the ground beneath it crumble and part, such was the power behind it. It made the very air ripple and part. Snarling, he shaped the air around his limb into a blade, before hurling it at the wall of energy, the Force Push parting like Moses with the Red Sea as it crashed into the wall behind him, showering Ahsoka with pebbles and small rocks.

Eyes wide, Ventress grabbed her sabers and reignited them, leaping forward and arching one over her head.

Naruto made no move to draw his weapon, simply raising his hand and intercepting the blade mid-swing. Ahosoka looked away, sure she'd just witnessed her master gravely wounded. When no cry of pain was forthcoming, she dared a peek and was shocked by what she saw.

Suspended in his palm, Naruto calmly held Ventress' blade as if he were holding a staff or a training saber. Ventress seemed equally shocked, but quickly regained control and swung her second blade sideways, in an attempt to bisect the blonde. She met air, and was stunned.

'_Where did he go? How can he be this fa-_' Grunting, she doubled over and dry-heaved as the wind was knocked out of her, before her cheek caved in and she was sent flying into the wall across the room, a dull _THUD_ resounding through the room followed by a cracking noise as the wall she impacted caved in, relenting to the overwhelming pressure provided by her propelled body.

Landing lightly, Naruto strode over and calmly picked up Ventress by her head, the Sith's groan increasing as he tossed her slightly into the air. Gravity taking over, she began to fall, just before she was spin-kicked into a pillar, her cry of pain cut short as the structure crumbled onto her.

Watching for a moment to make sure she didn't get up, Naruto then turned to Ahsoka, who's mouth was shamelessly hung open in utter bewilderment. His face stoic and unreadable, Naruto walked over before picking her up bridal-style and heading back from where he came, not even passing a glance at the rubble where Ventress had been hurled. As far as Ahsoka was concerned, she didn't think the Sith had any fight left in her, especially after such a sound beating.

Still, she wouldn't put it past a Sith to attempt an attack from behind, but when the rubble didn't even shift an inch, she looked away and rested her head on Naruto's shoulder, content to let him carry her out of the temple. She was exhausted, and he knew it.

* * *

><p>Outside the temple, the clones were taking care of the arduous task of sweeping the droids into more manageable piles, clearing the debris from parts of the landing bay so that walking didn't become a hazard.<p>

Rex surveyed the resulting battle, and was fairly pleased with the overall results. Of the 6 AT-TE's and 100 troopers they'd brought, only two of the tanks and 10 men were lost; this he could attribute to his general's overwhelming surprise attack and excellent battle strategies.

Grudgingly, he now agreed with Naruto about his first plan of attack. They would have lost many more troops, and could have lost ALL of the tanks in the first battle. With the unexpected second battle, they would have been all but wiped out. He hadn't thought about a Separatist counterattack, and was ashamed to admit it.

'_Namikaze makes one HELL of a war general. I'm just glad he's with US, and not Dooku. We'd be screwed if he was.'_

Turning his helm skyward, he grinned as a _Venator_-class Republic cruiser entered low orbit, gunships and V-19 Torrent starfighters streaming out of the landing bay. What caught his eye, however, was 2 Jedi Starfighters heading straight towards their location.

No sooner had they landed than Obi-Wan Kenobi and Revan Namikaze leapt from their respective transports and sped over, seeking him out immediately.

"Rex, I see you managed to hold your own quite splendidly."

He grinned at Obi-Wan. "We sure did, General. But I'm not going to take the credit for this one; this was all General Namikaze's doing. He's a brilliant commander. We barely lost any soldiers, because of him."

Obi-Wan nodded. Revan stepped forward. "Where IS my husband, by the way?"

Turning, he made to point the blonde out. "He's right over...uh..."

Seeing the commander's confused expression, Revan sighed. "Lemme guess: No idea."

Shaking his head, Rex was about to reply before he saw said blonde exiting the temple.

"Nope, he's right there."

Eyes widening in surprise, Revan looked over and saw her husband carrying what looked like a body. She feared the worst immediately, but relaxed when he flashed her a small smile. Upon closer inspection, it revealed he was carrying Ahsoka...who was carrying the Huttlet in a backpack.

Striding over to greet them, he set Ahsoka down on the ground, content to let her sleep as he hoisted the backpack into his arms, the Huttlet gurgling in delight at seeing new faces.

"Guys, meet Jabba's son."

Obi-Wan frowned slightly, and pinched his nose. "Good lord, Naruto. What have you been feeding it?"

"Oi, I haven't fed it anything! It ALWAYS smells like this."

Revan elbowed Obi-Wan, giving him a glare before she took the pack from Naruto. "Aww, aren't you just precious~?"

Naruto palmed his face. "Women and infants. I swear..."

Obi-Wan shook his head, before staring down at Ahsoka. "Is she okay?"

He nodded. "Yeah, she's fine. Just a little drained, is all. We fought a Sith."

Silence permeated the immediate vicinity. Rex's eyes were trying to escape his skull, and he swallowed hard to clear the lump in his throat. "A Sith, you say?"

Naruto nodded, glancing at the commander before looking at Obi-Wan. "She was definitely a user of the Dark Side, that much I can say. I don't know her name, though, albeit Ahsoka mumbled a name in her sleep. Ventra...or Venertia..."

Obi-Wan scowled. "Ventress."

Naruto clapped his hands. "Yeah, that's it."

Obi-Wan frowned. "She's a Sith Acolyte, an apprentice to Count Dooku. She's been showing up more and more on the battlefield, and has caused the deaths of several Padawans, already. Question is, what was she here for?"

Revan rolled her eyes. "Don't be stupid, Ben. It's obvious Dooku sent her here to kill the Hutt."

"Actually, she wanted it."

Blinking, all present turned to see Ahsoka struggle to sit up, succeeding only when Naruto supported her back with his hand.

"She wanted it? You mean she wanted to take the Hutt?"

She nodded, which earned quirked eyebrows all around. "Huh. That would explain a lot. I figured Dooku would kill the Huttlet, and make it look like we did it, but rescuing it and bringing it to Jabba would definitely earn his favor."

Revan nodded at her husband's astute observation. "Well, what happened to her? You took care of her, I take it?"

Naruto nodded. "Yep. Hurled her through a wall, then a pillar. She won't be getting back up anytime soon."

Obi-Wan sighed. "Must you destroy everything you come in contact with?"

Naruto grinned. "It's in my nature, Benny-boy."

"Well, I might as well see to it that my Padewan gets taken care of. Can't have her hanging around YOU all the time." Shaking his head, he picked up Ahsoka and headed towards a nearby gunship.

Chuckling, Naruto made to retort, but was cut off.

"Put me down, Master. I'm fine."

Eyebrows quirked in surprise, Obi-Wan did as he was asked, and although a little shaky, she nodded her thanks. Surprising him even more, she made her way over and hooked an arm around Naruto's, pulling him towards their starfighters.

Revan blinked, then strode forward and stopped the duo, giving the Padewan a look before handing the Huttlet to her husband. "I'm assuming her dragging you to your starfighter means she wants to continue the mission. Although, she could have gone about it a better way." She leveled another look at Ahsoka, who had the decency to blush.

Naruto looked over at Ahsoka, before sighing. "Ahsoka, gimme a second. I need to talk to Rev." When the Padawan refused to let go of his arm, he patted her hand reassuringly. "I promise I'll come right back." With a nod, she reluctantly let go, and he hooked his arm around Revan's before pulling her off to the side.

"What's the deal with her?"

Naruto shook his head. "Honestly? I don't know. But that's not important, right now. What IS important is the fact that she's right." At Revan's confused expression, he sighed. "About continuing the mission, love. We HAVE to do this, not just for the Hutt, but for the Republic itself. We NEED those shipping lanes, remember?"

Revan nodded, seemingly satisfied with that answer. "So, what's it like?"

"Huh?"

"Having a Padawan? What's it like?"

"It's..." he paused. "...Actually, it's not that bad. To be honest, I've been a lone wolf for so long that I didn't really know how to work cohesively with a teammate until you showed up, hime. Now, I have a little tagalong that is trying her hardest to compensate for any and all blind spots I have. I'll admit, I've been letting myself get a little lax around her, but it's all for the training she undoubtedly needs, and I'm willing to provide her with that."

Revan smiled. "Maybe we should talk to Yoda about a transfer?"

Naruto nodded. "Sounds good to me."

Revan grinned. "Great! Now that frees Ben for our kids again!"

Naruto snickered. "Sucks to be him."

Revan swatted him, gaining a yelp from her husband. A wicked grin crossed her face, and making sure Ahsoka was watching, she leaned down and grabbed his face before kissing him deeply, his eyes widening at the sudden display of affection, before he kissed her back.

Parting, Naruto inhaled. "Care to tell me what THAT was about?"

Revan grinned. "Just making sure the girl knows where her standing is, that's all."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Jealous, much?"

Revan swatted his rear. "Damn straight. You're mine."

Naruto rubbed his behind and shook his head. "You're such a goof."

She mock-gasped. "Take that back!"

Naruto grinned. "Goofy-goober."

She growled playfully. "Naruto..."

Turning, he ran over and grabbed Ahsoka, all but yanking her and the Huttlet towards their starfighters. "Gotta go, Rev. See you later!"

She shook her head. "Damn him. Oh, well...I'll get him back later."

Walking over, she poked Obi-Wan hard in the shoulder, the Jedi turning with a look of discontent on his face.

"Can I help you, Revan?"

She nodded. "Yeah, you can. You can start by rounding up the troops. We're going to Tatooine as backup."

Obi-Wan blinked. "But I thought Naruto said-"

"Screw what he said. I'm going, and you're coming with."

Groaning, Obi-Wan hung his head. "Fine. Just don't put any blame on me when Naruto flies off the handle after he discovers us following him."

Ignoring Ben's complaints, she shooed him away before pulling out a communicator. Commander Cody's visage popped up on the comm. "Yes, General?"

"Commander, I want you to recall all fighters and troops. We're going after Naruto and Ahsoka to provide backup."

Nodding, he saluted her. "As you wish, General."

Cutting the comm off, she turned and watched as Obi-Wan gave the orders to Rex, who passed it along through the ranks. She knew it would take them a while to load up, and could only hope that they weren't far behind.

* * *

><p>Inside the temple, rubble and debris shifted slightly, before falling off to reveal a battered Ventress, her dress slightly torn but otherwise intact. Wiping some blood from her mouth, she spat out a globule before reaching into her pocket and pulling out her communicator, wincing as she nursed a bruised rib.<p>

Flicking it on, she was greeted with the image of Count Dooku, his expression of anger falling away to confusion. **"Ventress, report. Have you secured the Huttlet? Jabba is getting...antsy."**

Shaking her head, she leaned against a wall to stop the world from spinning. "No, Master...I nearly had him, but was caught off-guard by Namikaze." At his glare, she straightened her posture, ignoring the screaming pain in her lower back. "It was not my intention to engage him, Master. I had no choice. Regardless, he managed to beat me with a few tricks I'd never seen before. It was not as though he bested me in combat."

Sighing, Dooku could be seen rubbing the bridge of his nose. **"Very well. I will not condemn you for defending yourself. However, I will also not condone failure on your part. Be that as it may, you are far too injured to continue, so I expect you to head to the nearest Separatist medical facility to heal up."**

"Master-"

"**NO QUESTIONING MY DECISION, VENTRESS!"** he roared. Taking a deep breath, he composed himself, letting his anger simmer. **"Just get to the medical center. I will deal with Namikaze. He may be strong, but he has a handicap with the Huttlet in his possession, and a Padawan at his side. I should be able to deal with him, myself. Dooku out."**

The holoimage faded and Ventress was left wondering, even as she made her way to her _Ginivex_-class starfighter, just how strong Naruto was if her master himself was using handicaps to bring the blonde down.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Space Above Tatooine...<strong>_

Warping out of hyperspace, the duo wasted no time in detaching their fighters from their hyperspace rings and penetrating Tatooine's arid atmosphere, their starcraft soaring over the desert landscape as they headed for Jabba's palace.

"Ahsoka, land here. We'll continue on foot."

"But why, Master?"

Naruto didn't respond, merely directing the craft downward. Sighing, Ahsoka did the same, landing a click away from Jabba's palace. Leaping out of her craft, she walked over to Naruto, Huttlet in tow.

"NOW will you tell me-"

"Count Dooku."

Her eyes widened, before she spun around to stare at the well-kept appearance of the Count of Serrano.

"Ahh, my dear friend. Such a pleasure to see you again. You're well, I take it?"

Ahsoka's eyes darted back and forth between Naruto and Dooku, her expression showing her bewilderment. "You two KNEW each other?"

Naruto nodded, but didn't take his eyes off the Count. "We used to, back in the days before the Clone Wars." Regarding the Count with sad eyes, Naruto shook his head. "You were a good person once, Dooku. What changed?"

Dooku sighed, and his eyes took on a melancholy look to them. "Time, Naruto. Time changes everything. Over time, I began to see the Jedi Order for what it was becoming, instead of the ideal I used to believe in. Corrupt, arrogant, BLINDED to the true nature of the Force. Unwilling to heed the call of the Dark Side, the call of power and promise, the call of kings, emperors, rulers of the known galaxy-"

"The call of the Sith, the call of evil, the call of FALSE power and EMPTY promises. You know this, Dooku. You know the Dark Side brings nothing but pain, sorrow, and regret. Why serve it? It is not too late, believe it or not. Call off this farce of a war. Rebuke the Dark Side. LET GO of your hate, your anger, your bitterness. I can help you, Revan can help you, Obi-Wan can help you, Yoda can help you. We all want to help you."

Dooku smiled, a genuine, true smile, his lips curving upwards into a pleasant grin, and Ahsoka caught a glimpse of what Dooku used to be, a kind, caring old man who wanted nothing more than a peaceful life.

Then it was gone, replaced by the sadness and distraught nature of his very being. "I'm...sorry, my old friend. I truly am. I did not wish for it to come to this, to war. Bloodshed only begets bloodshed, and violence the same. Yet, it has come to this only because the Jedi refuse to see the error of their ways. If not the Dark Side, then they should at least embrace their emotions."

Naruto shook his head. "We can rectify that...together. Come with me, please. Turn away from this path, my friend. Let it go." Reaching out a hand in good faith, Naruto beseeched the troubled Count.

"I'm...I'm afraid I can't do that, Naruto. Too many times I've tried reasoning with the council. Too many times I've tried persuading them to see the truth. 'Fear is a path to the Dark Side.' said Master Yoda. 'Fear leads to Anger, Anger leads to Hate, and Hate leads to Suffering.' The Jedi fail to see that it is their FEAR of the Dark Side that has led them astray."

Naruto nodded at this, shocking both Ahsoka and the Count. "You're right. Their fear HAS lead them astray. But fear in of itself is not a bad thing, Dooku. Fear is what keeps us alive when we need it most. Fear lets us know what we should avoid doing. And most importantly, fear keeps us from doing things we know, deep down, are wrong."

"My friend, if you embrace fear, you will be crippled by it."

"No, Dooku. To embrace your own fears gives you strength, not weakeness." Naruto shook his head with a smile. "I learned this long ago, centuries before your time. To be afraid, to know of fear, is not weakness. To embrace your fear is not weakness. To let your fear RULE you, to let it take hold and stay your hand, halt your movements, to let it cripple you...THAT is weakness." Dooku looked as if he wished to interject, but Naruto held up a hand. "To embrace your fear is to acknowledge your shortcomings. Doing so is also not a weakeness.

True strength...TRUE strength...comes from being afraid, yet pushing PAST your fear, acknowledging you're afraid; afraid to die, afraid to fail, afraid to lose, afraid to screw up, afraid to let a best friend down, afraid to come up short, to be second best. All these and more. Yet if you can push past them, to strive for something REGARDLESS of your fears, REGARDLESS of your fear of failure, of loss, of death...THAT is what makes you truly strong, Dooku."

Silence permeated the dunes, and Naruto gently took the Huttlet from Ahsoka's stunned grasp, gently guiding her forward as they neared Dooku. Clasping a hand on the stunned Count's shoulders, Naruto squeezed it sympathetically. "Believe me, my friend, I _know_. Everything you've been through, I've already experienced. The sadness, the loss of friends and loved ones. I will admit, I never knew my family, but I've always felt close to them, so to not know them is a loss, too. Trust me, **I know**."

Letting his hand fall back to his side, he turned to Ahsoka. "Let's go. We've said enough."

Nodding, she followed him, looking back at the stock-still form of the leader of the Confederacy, before turning and racing to catch up to Naruto's retreating form.

* * *

><p>Dooku was stunned. No, stunned was too light a word...shocked? Bewildered? Caught off-guard? All these and more seemed to pale, to fall short of what he had just heard.<p>

He'd known that Naruto was wiser than he was given credit for. He'd known that Naruto was older than he was, and had probably seen it all and done it all, and come out standing.

What he _hadn't_ known, however, was that Naruto was MUCH more intelligent than he was given credit for. Bordering on philosophical, if that speech had any link to the depths of Naruto's psyche. Like his predecessors before him, Dooku had taken for granted the general ignorance that Naruto displayed on a daily basis; laughing, joking, and poking fun at most every situation that arose.

Little did he know that it was a mask, a mask constructed from DECADES of torment, of every conceivable pain known to man. So well crafted, this mask, that it took Naruto himself removing it for one to see what he truly was: a humbled individual with more knowledge of the inner workings of the soul than Dooku cared to think about.

Shaking his head from his musings, he realized he'd been standing there for some time. Chuckling to himself, he made his way to his Flinknot speeder. '_Perhaps Naruto was right. Perhaps he was wrong. One thing IS certain, however..._' He frowned as he sped off in the direction of his solar sailer. '_I won't be getting much sleep for the foreseeable future.'_

* * *

><p>With Jabba's son returned safely to the palace, and the Hutt's promise of access to his shipping lanes granted, their mission was complete. Naruto sighed as he sank into the couch, smiling softly as he ruffled Anko's hair gently, careful not to wake the sleeping girl. He, his wife, and their three children had been spending the past several days together, making up for lost time as they enjoyed their brief reprieve from war duties.<p>

Glancing over, he made sure everyone was asleep before flicking the holoset off, not an eyelid amongst them twitching in response. Scooping Anko up in his arms, he kissed her forehead softly before carrying her into her room, putting her to bed before doing the same with Haku and Kushina. After tucking the last one in, he went back to the couch and, with a grin, scooped up his wife in his arms.

Her eyes blinked open, and she yawned before snuggling into his grasp. "Mmm, how long was I out?"

Shrugging, he carried her to their bedchamber. "Not very long. An hour or two, at most."

She nodded, but couldn't stifle another yawn as he laid her down and curled up next to her, nuzzling her neck as she sighed.

"I wish we could just stay like this, love."

Naruto nodded, not needing to speak as Revan had already fallen asleep. '_Me too, koi. Me, too.'_

**Okay, so that's the end of the Clone Wars Movie. Now we can actually dive into the nitty gritty of the Clone Wars series itself. Once again, I don't promise any updates, as I'm dealing with a ten-ton plate of crap right now, so I can't make promises I can't guarantee I'll keep.**

**-Sgt. Assassin**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Begun, The Clone War Has**

_**Star Wars:**_

_**The Clone Wars**_

_**With the declaration of war from**_

_**the Confederacy of Independent Systems,**_

_**the Galactic Republic has been thrown**_

_**into chaos.**_

_**Fighting has erupted throughout**_

_**the galaxy. War is everywhere.**_

_**Meanwhile, on Coruscant, the Senate**_

_**is also in turmoil, dealing with**_

_**the gaping hole left by**_

_**the thousands of star systems**_

_**that have left the Republic.**_

_**In the Jedi Temple, Jedi Grand Master**_

_**Yoda deals with the overwhelming strain**_

_**being imparted on the dwindling number**_

_**of Jedi available to assist the besieged**_

_**Galactic Republic. **_

_**Meanwhile, Naruto struggles with his**_

_**greatest challenge yet...puberty...**_

Deflecting a series of rapid strikes, Revan did several backflips to separate herself from her 'sparring partner'.

"That was rather fierce, dear. What's the ire behind those blows?"

Naruto's expression belayed no inner turmoil, but Revan knew him well enough to read the subtle signs he always gave off when he was irritated.

Sighing, he relaxed his stance, and gave her a pointed look. "You know damn well what my problem is, Rev."

She more than likely did, but that didn't stop her from asking. "The girls?"

Revan heard him groan, and she couldn't stifle a chuckle. "You knew they would reach this age, didn't you? Why act so surprised?"

"It's not that. It's the fact that **I** got to be the one to make such a profound discovery." He cringed at the thought.

Revan smiled. Since Anko and Haku had turned 13, the mysterious lack of estrogen the girls seemingly had was quickly rectified. Mother Nature was nothing if not punctual.

Naruto had been relaxing for a change. He'd just finished a dual spar between Obi-Wan and Mace Windu, and was somewhat sore from having to hold back against the Masters. He'd paid for it, but he was still able to beat them. Hell, he wanted a friendly spar, not a bloodbath. Obi-Wan, surprisingly, had been able to outlast the Vaapad user. Mace had worn himself out with wicked strikes and harsh blows, but Naruto had the upper hand in terms of strength, and was easily able to weather the blows, leaving the Jedi Master winded and easy pickings.

Obi-Wan had been slightly harder, as he'd taken to perfecting his Form 3 after his crushing defeat against Count Dooku. He'd been remiss to think he stood a chance against a man a decade or so his senior, and nearly paid for it with his life. Now more determined than ever to stop this war as soon as possible, he'd thrown himself into his training, and it made Naruto smile to think how similar Obi-Wan was to him in regards to training.

Regardless, after wearing down his defenses, he'd tagged Obi-Wan in the shoulder, followed by a leg sweep. By the time he'd hit the ground, he found Naruto's sparring blade at his throat. Grinning, Naruto wagged his finger mockingly at Obi-Wan, chastising him for thinking he'd get off free and clear in a spar with him.

Still, he'd gotten his workout, and was relaxing as he watched a show on the Holo-TV, when a high-pitched scream had him tearing up the carpet quicker than their new pet Nexu ever could. He'd followed the scream to the bathroom, and nearly tore the door off in his haste to open it.

What greeted him was something he could have only imagined under Itachi's Tsukuyomi, and even that seemed to pale in comparison to what his eyes were viewing.

His wife was by his side a second later, and he turned it over to her, making it as far as the kitchen sink before throwing the faucet wide open and furiously washing his eyes out.

"MAKE THE IMAGES GO AWAY! FOR THE LOVE OF KAMI, MAKE THEM GO AWAY!"

Kushina came trotting into the kitchen, and smiled up at her dad. "Whacha doin', daddy? Got something in your eyes?"

Naruto could only nod as he dried his face off with a towel. "Y-yeah, sweetie. Just had something in my eye, that's all."

Oblivious to her father's torture, she grinned and skipped off, presumably to go play with Haku.

Naruto waited until she left the kitchen, then sagged against the counter, trembling.

Revan came in a minute later and smacked him upside the head, causing him to jump.

"What the hell, Naruto?"

"I should ask you the same thing, Rev. What the hell are you hitting me for?"

Revan pointed in the direction from which she came. "Our daughter just got her first period, and you're going to act like you've seen a corpse? No, scratch that. You see corpses all the time, and it doesn't phase you one bit! You were more horrified about our daughter coming into puberty than you would have been had you decapitated a Rodian!"

Naruto whined, causing Revan to develop a tick mark. "Revan, there was so much blood, and it was coming _from down there!_ Men don't DO that!"

She smacked him again, causing him to whine in protest. "Anko is NOT a man, you idiot! I thought you would have foreseen this coming when she was born?"

Naruto shook his head. "I may be a natural when it comes to raising kids, but I don't know the FIRST THING about a girl in puberty. The only reason I didn't Hirashin her ass to the hospital was because you've had periods-"

A resounding smack came this time, and Revan was fuming. "Do NOT talk about my time of the month in such a cavalier manner! I'll have you know that I go through HELL when it occurs, and you're happy-go-lucky attitude does NOT make me feel any better!"

Naruto rubbed his cheek, and stuck his foot further down his mouth. "...Is it that time of the month right now?"

Silence permeated the air, before a _THWACK_ could be heard, followed by the sweet, sweet sound of an individual dropping like a stone to the floor.

Revan stormed out of the kitchen, and went back to the bathroom, entering to see a wide-eyed Anko still sitting on the toilet.

"Is dad okay?"

Revan smiled at her daughter. "He's just fine. He's...well, he's not a girl, so he can't really understand what you're going through, okay dear?"

Anko nodded. "Yeah, I get that. I was asking if he was okay because it sounded like you knocked him out."

Revan's smile only got bigger, which caused Anko to shiver. "Like I said, your father is fine."

A pitiful groan similar to the dying sounds of a cow made its' way through the air. "She...*wheeze*...hit me in the Forbidden Place...someone...someone kill me now...please just kill me now..."

Anko paled, and Revan shut the door to block out the sounds of her husband's agony. Turning to her now slightly apprehensive daughter, she grinned. "Okay! Let's teach you how to deal with this troublesome issue, shall we?"

Coincidentally, Haku had her period several days later, and when her piercing shriek filled the air, Naruto did what any self-respecting father would do:

He kept the hell out of women business, and went back to watching his show.

* * *

><p>Sighing, Revan watched out of the corner of her eye as Obi-Wan entered the training room. "For the last time, Naruto. I said I was sorry."<p>

Naruto snorted and turned away from her. "Yeah? Tell that to my balls."

Obi-Wan tripped on air and planted his face in the mat the two were standing on.

Revan snickered, while Naruto shook his head.

"Can I help you, Ben?"

Obi-Wan picked himself up off the ground, and glared at Naruto. "You should not talk to your wife like that, Naruto. It's not-"

He stopped and paled as Naruto turned a glare on him that could melt the entire planet of Ilum. "Don't speak of things you know nothing about, Ben. If you were using those ears of yours, you'd know that my wife tarnished my Forbidden Place."

Obi-Wan gasped, while Revan palmed her face. "For the love of God, Naruto. Saying it like that makes it sound like I violated you."

Naruto turned his head up. "Yeah, well you did. I don't hit you in your special places, so you shouldn't hit me in mine."

Obi-Wan was doing an impressive imitation of a bobble-head doll as he agreed. Revan sighed, and walked over to Naruto, who refused to look at her. She wrapped her arms around him and held him close to her.

"I'm sorry, okay? I was angry that you reacted the way you did, and I'd forgotten that you didn't get the same education that I'd gotten." She felt him tense at that, and it hurt her heart to think she'd caused him more pain. As if he hadn't gotten enough of that. "Look, tonight, when the kids are in bed, it's just you and me, okay? Whatever you want."

She heard him sigh, and he finally relaxed into her hold. "That's cheating, babe."

She grinned. "I know."

Clearing his throat, Obi-Wan got their attention. "Well, if you two are done working out your problems, I have been asked to summon Naruto to the Council Chambers."

This got quirked eyebrows from both Namikazes, and Obi-Wan motioned for them to follow him. Returning their practice sabers to their respective racks, they followed him out the door.

"So, Ben, what's the situation?"

Obi-Wan nodded. "Well, first off, the Supreme Chancellor's Representative has been recovered. Aside from a few cuts and bruises, and slight malnourishment, Anakin will be fine. The ARC Commandos did an excellent job in rescuing him."

Naruto and Revan smiled. In all the chaos and confusion during the Battle of Geonosis, they'd had no time to go and rescue their ally, but they were glad that he had been rescued.

"As for the war, things have steadily been progressing forward, but whether that is a good thing or not, I cannot say. It appears that neither side has a definitive advantage over the other, but from what I've heard, that could very well change sooner than we think."

Naruto's interest was now piqued. "What do you mean, Ben?"

Obi-Wan grinned. "You'll find out."

Naruto deadpanned. "You're enjoying this, aren't you? You rat bastard."

Revan smirked, and patted his back. "Now, now. Just be patient. We'll find out soon enough."

Naruto gave her a look. "Yeah, but Benny-boy here is giving me the 'I-know-something-that-you-don't-know' look, and it's pissing me off."

Obi-Wan chuckled. "Now you know how I feel."

Naruto resisted the urge to throttle his best friend, and followed him up the stairs to the Council Chambers.

* * *

><p>"Here at last, you are. The scenic route, you took." quipped Yoda as the three entered the Chambers. Several chuckles were heard 'round the room, and Naruto frowned.<p>

"What did you call us here for, Masters?" Naruto asked, immediately dispensing with the pleasantries. Yoda's smile lessened. It wasn't like Naruto to not have a comeback ready and waiting in the wings, so to speak.

"Something disturbs you, Namikaze. Please, let us help." came the voice of Senior Council Member Mace Windu. While Naruto may get on his nerves from time to time, when the man was troubled, he often decided to lend a helping hand when he could.

Sighing, Naruto kept quiet. It was his friend who spoke up. "Naruto is...well, he's still rather put out over Jango Fett's..."

Understanding shone in Yoda's eyes, as well as all of the council members in the room. Many had lost individuals they considered friends, some even lost Padawans to death or the Dark Side's unnatural lure.

Revan picked up where Obi-Wan left off. "My husband has lost many friends and family, and as much as I try to get him to think otherwise, he still believes that if he'd been better in some way, shape, or form, he could have saved them. Faster, smarter, stronger, in the right place at the right time."

Once again, everyone in the room could share that sentiment, as they'd all felt and thought the exact same thing at one time or another.

Turning to her husband, Revan placed a hand on his back. "He finally thought he'd acquired enough power to protect those precious people in his life, and Jango's death hit him hard. It was another friend that he felt he failed to protect."

Yoda hummed, "Say this to you, I will. Those who die, those who become one with the Force...lucky, they are." Naruto's eyes snapped up, and a retort was on his lips as Yoda continued. "Feel pain, they do not. Feel suffering, they do not. Released of all their worldly troubles, they are. Finally able to rest in peace, they are. Mourn them, do not. Miss them, do not. Rejoice, for one with the Force, they are. Finally, forget this, you mustn't. Once more you will meet them. Upon your death, the Force guides you to them."

Naruto's eyes shone with unbridled tears, and it tore at Revan's heart to see her husband so broken up inside. "That's the problem, Master. I can't die. I'm immor-"

"Immortal, you are not. Forever, nothing lasts. In time, all becomes one with the Force." Yoda spoke, a small smile on his face. "Positive, I am, that you will find a way to your loved ones."

Nodding, Naruto wiped his eyes as Yoda got down to business. Revan mouthed a 'Thank You' to the diminutive Jedi Master, and he nodded in return.

"Many worlds we have lost, to the Separatist threat. The loss of these worlds, cannot afford it, the Republic can. Neutrality, some have chosen. The small moon of Toydaria, one of these worlds is."

Mace continued where Yoda left off. "Master Yoda has decided to be the delegate to head to Toydaria, and he has requested Namikaze's assistance in this matter."

Naruto blinked, obviously surprised. "Me?"

Mace nodded. "He feels that this would be best, seeing as you're gunning for the rank of Master. While your strength is not to be denied, your diplomacy skills are...well, lacking."

Revan laughed. "I know. I swear, I have no idea how he managed to keep the hat for as long as he did. His handwriting is STILL atrocious!"

Naruto rounded on her. "I'll have you know the reason I was Hokage for so long was because there wasn't a single person who could match up to my power. Konohamaru STILL couldn't, but I stepped down willingly."

Revan nodded. "I know. I just like teasing you."

Naruto turned back again, grumbling as Revan smirked. Mace shook his head as Yoda chuckled.

"Now, to Toydaria, we must go. Gather your traveling supplies, you must. A long trip, we might have.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Several days later...<strong>_

As the Toydarian leader looked out over the length of his kingdom, he couldn't help but feel a bit perturbed. He'd received communications from Jedi Grand Master Yoda that he and another Jedi were coming to negotiate a potential alliance against the Separatists.

Today was the supposed arrival date, yet he'd not heard from the diminutive Master in close to an hour. Several of his royal bodyguards made their way over to him, after their latest attempt to contact Master Yoda.

"There is still no signal from the Republic, Your Highness." he said, and King Katuunko frowned, raising his visor over his eyes to stare into the sky.

"I don't see anything." His frown only deepened. "It is not like the Jedi to be late."

"_Greetings_, King Katuunko." came a feminine voice.

His bodyguards whirled around in an instant, arms at the ready should a threat pose itself. Katuunko merely turned to gaze upon the form of Asajj Ventress, two B-1 battle droids flanking her.

She bowed, and he spoke. "Who are you?"

She lifted her head and replied. "I am only a messenger, Your Majesty. My Master wishes to speak with you." Upon finishing this statement, a communicator was levitated over in front of him, and the spectral image of Count Dooku appeared.

"Katuunko, Great King of Toydaria, please forgive my hasty intrusion." he began.

"Count Dooku." he acknowledged.

"I am aware that Jedi Master Yoda hopes to convince you to allow the Republic to build a base in your system in exchange for _protection_, correct?" he asked.

The king scoffed. "Your spies serve you well, Count."

"I ask you this question: How can the Jedi and the Republic protect you...when they cannot even protect themselves?"

* * *

><p>"Toydarian Royal Delegation, this is the Republic Envoy. Please repsond." came the voice of the frigate commander, his umpteenth attempt to contact the Toydarians unsuccessful.<p>

In the back, Naruto looked at Yoda with something akin to distaste. "It's a trap."

Yoda shook his head. "Attack us, the Toydarians will not. Good friends I am, with their leader."

Naruto shook his head, and got up, heading to the cockpit. "An ambush, then."

Sighing, Yoda got up, as well, following the blonde to the control room.

The commander ceased his next transmission when both Jedi entered the cockpit. "Ah, Generals. The Toydarian beacon on the moon IS active, but all of our transmissions are being jammed."

Naruto groaned. "I told you."

Yoda hummed. He seemed ready to reply when the ship suddenly shook, violently throwing its' cargo to and fro.

"What in the blue hell is going on, commander?" shouted Naruto, having to use his chakra to stay upright.

"Two Banking Clan Comm ships have warped out of hyperspace and are bombarding us with turbolaser fire!" came the response. A string of curses was heard amongst the clatter and over the roar of the warning klaxon. "We're going to lose our shields if we keep taking this much damage!"

"Too late, it is. Sprung, is the trap." commented Yoda.

Naruto gave him a dry look. "I don't mean to say I told you so...BUT I TOLD YOU SO, GODDAMNIT!"

The consular ship weaved wildly, juking and ducking the sporadic turbolaser fire from both ships, it's cannons firing back, but doing no damage. They were not only outgunned, but outpowered and outmaneuvered, as well.

"Why does this ALWAYS happen to me on missions? I swear, I have the WORST luck." Naruto griped.

"I must get you to safety, Generals." the commander commented, his pilots still doing their best to avoid a fiery death.

"Retreat, you must." said Yoda. The commander was about to protest when Naruto clapped a hand on his shoulder.

"Our mission is on Toydaria. That's where we need to go."

The commander seemed to contemplate the choices he had, before nodding. "Alright, I'll get you to the surface."

Naruto shook his head. "No need. We'll kill two birds with one kunai." At their confused looks, he palmed his face. "An escape pod."

Yoda was of the same mind, and nodded, while the commander looked as if he'd proposed they turn about and engage the Separatist frigates in mortal combat. "An ESCAPE POD, sir? The enemy will fire at ANYTHING we launch!"

Yoda turned around as Naruto was climbing into the pod. "Then launch ALL of them, you will, hmm?"

A spark of realization hit the commander's eyes, but he still didn't like the plan. "Damn it all."

* * *

><p>"I suppose you and your droid armies could do better?" asked Katuunku.<p>

"Without a doubt." came the Count's reply. "I sense you are someone who respects **strength**, Your Highness. Our droid armies outnumber the Republic's clones 100 to 1."

"Yes, perhaps." the king acquiesced. "But **I** have heard that a **single** Jedi is equal to at least a hundred droids."

"Master Yoda's powers have been GREATLY exaggerated, I'm afraid." came Dooku's response.

The king smirked. "That remains to be seen, Count."

Dooku nodded. "Indeed. But when you decide to join us, my apprentice will contact me." With a bow to the king, the image of Dooku faded, and Ventress retrieved the communicator.

King Katuunku brought his visor back to his eyes, and watched as the Republic consular ship, under heavy fire, finally shot back into hyperspace.

"My lord, Master Yoda's warship has fled the system. What further evidence do you require of the Jedi's weakness?"

A reply from the king was interrupted by a beeping sound coming from his waistband. Reaching down, he grabbed his communicator and flicked the switch. An image of Yoda and Naruto appeared, next to a downed escape pod.

"This is King Katuunku. Speak."

"A pleasure it is, to hear your voice, Your Highness. Master Yoda and Knight Namikaze of the Jedi Order, this is."

"Master Jedi, I had thought that perhaps Count Dooku had...frightened you off."

Naruto scoffed, getting the Toydarian's attention. "Not likely. The bastard merely laid a trap for us. Nothing we couldn't handle, I assure you."

Yoda looked positively mortified at Naruto's casual address of the king. Silence reigned for a few moments before laughter came up over the communicator.

"I've never encountered someone of your disposition before, Knight Namikaze. You have no fear of men in power, I take it?"

Naruto shook his head. "Not really. I'm not all for that formality stuff. A person's merit should be based on their personality and their actions, not on their rank or status."

The king nodded. "I see. A wise one, you are. He has a good head on his shoulders, Master Yoda."

Yoda nodded, glad that the king had a sense of humor. He was SO going to reprimand Naruto after this, but for now, he'd just smile and nod. "Indeed he does, Your Highness. Delayed have we been, as Knight Namikaze has said. But not too far away, we are now. Unaware, we were, that _Count Dooku_ was invited to our meeting."

"The Count...invited himself. He assures me that in this time of war, his droids can offer my world greater security than your Jedi."

Naruto laughed. "That's a good one. The old man really knows how to lie to people. Those scraps of junk? They don't exactly protect, if you get what I mean."

Yoda nodded. "A matter of debate, this is."

Ventress joined in, causing Naruto to look at her, revulsion on his face as he took in her appearance. "_Someone has NOT gotten out much, if the color of her skin is any indication. What, did she only go out to get groceries, or something? No one should be that white...well, aside from Orochimaru and Kabuto, that is. But they were an exception. White snake DNA will do that to a person, after all."_

"Your Majesty might prefer more than just simple words."

Katuunku raised an eyebrow. "What did you have in mind?"

"If Yoda and this...boy are indeed the Jedi warriors you believe they are, let them prove it. Allow me to send my best troops to capture them. If they escape, join the Republic. But should my droids defeat the Jedi, consider an alliance with the Separatists."

"I did not request the Jedi's presence here in order to test them in battle!" came the king's reply, but a laugh from Naruto got their attention once more.

"That's great! I LOVE that idea. You might as well fill out the paperwork, Your Majesty, because there's not a chance in Hell I'm going to lose to scrap metal. We can't lose if those are the terms and conditions!"

Yoda refrained from hitting the blonde, as Ventress sneered. "Then perhaps you will have no qualms about arriving by nightfall?"

Naruto shook his head, ignoring Yoda's attempt to protest. "Nah, we got this. We'll get there in time for dinner."

Yoda sighed in defeat. "As Knight Namikaze says, it is. Arrive by nightfall, we will."

Ventress couldn't surpress a grin. "_Excellent._"

The communicator was turned off, and the Toydarian King was in Ventress' face in an instant. "Master Yoda and Knight Naruto MUST be given a fair fight. Is this understood?"

"My _dear_ King Katuunku, I would have it no other way."

* * *

><p>As soon as the communicator was turned off, Naruto abruptly found himself upside down courtesy of Yoda, if the little Master's glare had anything to do with it.<p>

"So much, I wish to say. Yet nothing I think of, any more harm will it do to you."

Naruto grinned. "Don't sweat it, Master. We're fighting DROIDS, not actual Force-users. I can get to this king's personal quarters in less time than it takes me to spar with Rev in the mornings."

Yoda shook him around, causing Naruto's eyes to spin. "Provoke the Dark Side, you should not. Answer your challenge, it most certainly will. Just because we face droids, easy this will not be. Learn to control your tongue, you should. Around royalty and political figures, even more so."

Naruto scoffed, causing Yoda's eyebrow to twitch in annoyance. "Like I told the Toydarian king, status, political influence, and royalty do not define a person. Their actions, personalities, and beliefs are what make them who they are. I'm not about to respect someone who'll kill an entire populace just because he's got the power to make my life hell. I'll respect someone when they show that they are, inherently, a good person."

Sighing, Yoda let Naruto fall on his head, and began to hobble off in the direction of the Toydarian Palace. "Keep that optimism, you should. Few possess views such as yours, indeed. However, to learn when to put on a mask of indifference, is what you should glean. For situations arise, certain views, tolerated they will not be."

Rubbing his head in annoyance and pain, Naruto got up and jogged to catch up. "Don't worry about me and masks, Master Yoda. That's something...that I know a lot about."

* * *

><p><strong>YEAH! Okay, all this aside, it's been a HELL of a few months, so forgive my sudden and lengthy absence. Life sucks, and so does the economy, hence why I had to focus entirely on the real world, not the one that frolics about in my skull (as awesome as that may be.)<strong>

**Until next time,**

**Sgt. Assassin**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Ambush**

All around them, coral-like trees sprung up to grasp at the sky, their pink and purple colors sharply contrasting with the barren landscape. Naruto quirked an eyebrow at this, but kept moving.

"So, do you have a plan, Master?"

"Beautiful, this moon is, hmm? Amazing, the universe is."

Naruto sighed, gesturing to the forest of coral before him. "Can we PLEASE admire the scenery later? Let's focus on how the hell we're going to navigate through this...whatever it is."

Yoda's response was cut off by a roaring clamor, and a Trade Federation C-9979 Landing Craft flew overhead, causing Naruto's ire to grow.

"So much for fair fighting. There's got to be AT LEAST a battalion of droids in there. Probably packin' some heavy armaments, as well."

"In war and love, all is fair, no?" quipped Yoda.

Grumbling, Naruto formed his signature cross-seal, and an entire platoon of clones poofed into existence. "Damn right it is. Alright, boys. Spread out. We're going to use this cover for an ambush. Pick at them from afar, and tear them to pieces."

**(A/N: A Battalion consists of anywhere from 300-1,000 troops, not counting tanks, aircraft, and vehicles. A Platoon consists of anywhere from 50-100 troops. For the sake of argument, we'll assume Naruto's clones are outnumbered 10-1.)**

A chorus of affirmatives greeted him, and they vanished a second later. Naruto turned to Yoda with a grin.

"Now all we have to do is wait."

"So sure you are, that this trap will work?"

Naruto laughed. "Before I came here, were you aware that there existed a person who could make multiple, _**solid**_ copies of himself?"

Realization hit Yoda, and he couldn't help but chuckle. "Full of mischief, you are."

Naruto shrugged. "Meh, it's what I do."

* * *

><p>In a nearby clearing, the carrier was unloading its' cargo, multiple AAT's were being ushered out and followed by wave after wave of droids.<p>

"I'm deploying my forces as we speak, Master." said Ventress.

"**Yoda has made a grave error straying this far from Coruscant. His arrogance shall cost him."**

Ventress chuckled. "I'll make sure that the Jedi gets his 'fair fight'."

"**See to it that he does, Ventress. You _know_ the price for failure. We cannot allow the Republic to get a stronger foothold in the galaxy, and Toydaria is part of that equation. To stop them here is to stop their advance. I expect nothing less than total victory."**

"And you shall have it, my Master." Ventress bowed her head, and Dooku's visage dissipated.

She turned to her droid commanders. "Find Master Yoda. Bring him here alive if you can, but dead if you must. Kill the blonde boy. Neither my Master nor I have any use for him."

"Roger, roger." Turning, each commander went to their separate stations, and the droid army made its' way into the coral forest.

Smirking, Ventress went to her personal ship, from which she could study the army's advance. "The first move has been made, Master Yoda. How will you follow up?"

Unfortunately, Ventress had no idea that the first move had already been made. _Hers_ had been the follow up. Now the game would _truly_ commence.

* * *

><p>As the tanks made their way into the forest, the formation was forced tighter and tighter together, the large, hulking overgrowth making it difficult to maneuver through.<p>

Gazing through its' binoculars, one commander spotted Naruto and Yoda sitting casually against a coral tree.

"There they are. They're deep in the forest. Fire on Sector 11!"

The tanks immediately opened fire, pelting the forest with laser blasts, Naruto cringing every time one struck the tree that was in front of them.

"Look, I know that this is the best way to lure them in, but couldn't we just use my clones?"

Yoda shook his head. "Want me alive, they do. More incentive, it is, for them to come closer. Besides, unable to reach us with their artillery, they are. Out of range, we are."

Naruto nodded, and watched with a sharp eye as they continued to unsuccessfully bombard the tree line.

Finally, the commander realized their munitions weren't reaching their target, and ordered a cease-fire. Testing the coral, he found it sturdy enough to completely block off their tanks' advance.

Sighing in annoyance (if droids can actually sigh), he turned to his fellow commanders. "We're unable to advance further. The tree line is too sturdy. We cannot fit our tanks through them, either."

Another commander made a hand signal. "Very well. Infantry, advance."

With a small chorus of acknowledgment, half of the army broke away and headed into the forest, immediately spreading out to cover more ground and lessen the search.

Without a second to spare, blaster fire erupted around the forest, sounds of intense engagement echoing throughout the area.

"Wh-what is going on? 4th Squad, report! 5th Squad, status! Can anyone read?" barked the commander.

Nothing but static greeted him. Meanwhile, shouts could be heard, some mechanical and others biological. Mechanical screams could be heard amidst the blaster fire, and the occasional hum of a lightsaber cutting though something rang out in the overgrowth.

All attempts to reach the forward squad were unsuccessful, and the fighting eventually died down, before utter silence once more greeted the droids.

"W-what...can anyone get a squad on the line? What the heck just happened?" droned a commander.

Another one poked his head up from his tank. "Nothing, sir. No readings from Squads 1-5. They've been completely wiped out."

The droid pounded his fist on the durasteel. "That's just great. NOW what do we do?"

* * *

><p>Snickering, Naruto gave Yoda a thumbs-up. "Worked just like I planned. And we only lost 10 clones in the process. I can't be sure, but the last tally we came up with was just under 500 droids. They cannot form a cohesive unit to save their circuits."<p>

Nodding, Yoda hummed. "But still in danger, we are. The tanks, unyielding they will be. To get around them, too much time we would take."

Naruto grinned. "Who do you think you're talking to?"

* * *

><p>"Our advanced forces have all been destroyed, General."<p>

Cursing inwardly, Ventress' face barely managed to conceal her rage. Damn those accursed Jedi.

Katuunku laughed. "Master Yoda is living up to my expectations."

What the droid said next had both of them puzzled. "Actually, our force was wiped out by another force, significantly larger than several individuals. I'd hazard a guess, and say possibly a platoon's worth or more."

This was news to both of them. Katuunku hadn't thought Yoda would bring so many clones to assist him in supposedly peaceful negotiations, and Ventress was thinking the exact same thing.

"Were you able to identify the defending force? Were they clones?"

The droid shook its' head. "No, ma'am. They were identical copies of the blonde boy you mentioned earlier. We were only able to identify him after retrieving some neural memories from our droids in the field, moments before they were destroyed."

While this may be hard to believe, Ventress still had to not outright dismiss the claim that one boy had wiped out half a battalion of droids in the span of 20 minutes. "Can you play the footage back?"

With a nod, the droid did something off-screen, and hazy imagery replaced his figure. Several droids were in front of this particular unit, when a greenish-white saber came out of nowhere and obliterated the leading droid, his body falling to pieces as the others scanned for the threat. A second droid fell to pieces, then a third.

With a single order, all the droids opened fire into the surrounding area, blaster bolts careening to and fro as they tried to flush out the assailant.

Yet droids _still_ kept dropping, most of them being pegged with blaster fire now, but a few were falling to pieces like the others had, and Ventress was able to identify the reason this time.

Nothing in the galaxy cut like a lightsaber, and this was _definitely_ a lightsaber cut on the chassis of a nearby droid.

"_Could this runt actually be stronger than I had anticipated?_" she speculated. While she was sorely tempted to dismiss the thought outright, what was happening before her eyes was nothing short of outright slaughter. As the droids were whittled down to just a few numbers, the assailant revealed himself.

Or rather, themselves.

Had she not seen it herself, she would have outright laughed in the face of the first person who told her that a person could make solid duplicates of themselves, and then wonder what sort of deathstick they were on to give them this high.

She would have had to apologize to said person later, had that occurred.

Identical copies, right down to the blonde hair, three whisker marks on each cheek, and those solid, piercing blue eyes. She couldn't look away as they each ignited a green lightsaber and charged the remaining droids, effortlessly deflecting and dodging the panicked blaster fire from the now frightened infantry.

The last thing that greeted her particular droid was the image of a green blade piercing its' forehead, before said blade was run up through the droid's skull and killing the feed with a burst of static.

As the droid's visage reappeared, Ventress' hands were curled into fists, and barely contained rage roiled off of her in waves.

"Well, I must say, that boy has quite some talent for someone so young. To be able to wipe out half a battalion by himself, I'd venture to say he's on par with that of a Jedi Master. Oh, how fun." came Katuunku's glee-filled voice. Ventress had to resist the urge to break his neck with the Force.

"Commander. Have you discovered their location?"

"Affirmative. While their exact location is unknown, they have given away their general position. Our heavy troops are mobilized, and are moving in to engage them as we speak."

While this gave Ventress some comfort, she knew that it would take more than what firepower they possessed to drag Yoda down. They needed to corner him, and with the ambushes that the blonde miscreant was performing, that was going to be rather difficult to accomplish.

"Very good. See to it that your men do not fall into any more ambushes, commander. Ventress out."

Nodding, the droid terminated the link, and she scowled out at the forest.

"It seems your droids are having difficulties, Ventress."

Turning, she regarded the king with feigned amusement. "Oh? I don't think so. Now that we know where they are, we can pursue them without any more delays. My troops will be on the lookout for ambushes, so those will no longer be effective. The Jedi will be captured in no time, Your Highness."

Grinning, Katuunku shrugged. "We shall see."

* * *

><p>Throughout the forest, clones were being shot down left and right, droidekas and super battle droids working in tandem to clear out the forest of traps and ambushes. Occasionally, a few clones got in a lucky shot, so 3 supers and 2 droidekas had been taken out. But by the end of the sweep, no clones were left.<p>

Shaking his head, Naruto stood with Yoda on top of one of the trees, looking out at the advancing army.

"I might just have to up my game a bit, Master."

Yoda shook his head. "Done enough, you have. Handle the rest, I will."

Naruto looked at him. "You sure? I can take care of them, if you want."

Yoda chuckled. "So sure of yourself, you are. Very well. Consider this the Strength portion of the Master Trials, you should."

Grinning, Naruto nodded. "Way to motivate someone, Master. I'll take care of them in exactly 60 seconds. Just watch."

Yet, after such a bold claim, Naruto simply closed his eyes, and assumed the lotus, getting Yoda's eyebrow to quirk. After 15 seconds, Naruto snapped his eyes open, orange pigment covering his eyelids. Yoda's eyes widened slightly as his eyes turned yellow, with a bar substituting his pupils. For a second, Yoda thought he was tapping into the Dark Side, but relaxed when he felt no negative energy rolling off of the blonde.

"_Strange. Feels natural, it does. As if in tune with nature, he is. Almost...almost as if one with the Force, he has become. Such a technique, this is._"

Pulling a tri-pronged kunai from his pouch, Naruto threw it in an upward-diagonal angle, letting the knife soar high into the sky before he made a handsign.

"Kawarimi no Jutsu."

Instantly, Naruto vanished. Yoda was startled at how quickly his presence disappeared. He was then puzzled, as the knife that he'd seen Naruto throw clattered to the coral next to him.

"Taju, Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

A cry got Yoda's attention, and he turned just in time to see Naruto create _hundreds of thousands_ of clones, the pigment disappearing from his eyes as he did so. Each took out the exact same knife that he'd seen earlier, and they all threw them straight down into the forest, a massive hail of metal skewering the ground below.

A yellow flash had Yoda turn to his side again, Naruto once more next to him holding the strange knife.

"How much time is left, Master?"

Yoda blinked. "15 seconds left, are there."

Naruto grinned. "14 seconds too much."

He disappeared again, and this time, the world nearly exploded in front of Yoda.

In the span of _literally_ a second, explosions rocked the landscape. Trees fell hard, some crushing droids that were unwary of their surroundings. Tanks ripped themselves apart, and droids collapsed to the ground twitching. Throughout the droid-occupied section of the forest, mechanical screams could be barely heard above the creaking of trees as they tumbled to the ground, and the sounds of AAT's erupting into barely contained fires and explosions.

A breath later, Naruto was once more by his side, pocketing his special knife with a smirk on his face. "Too easy."

Yoda couldn't help but ask, as even with the Force he couldn't see what occurred. "Something, you did. What it was, you will tell me."

Naruto nodded. "Yes, I will. But first, we should start heading towards the palace. The way is clear now."

Narrowing his eyes, Yoda leveled a look at the blonde that told him he'd tell him right here, right now, or he was about to fall from a very high place.

Sighing, Naruto took out the kunai. "This is my father's signature jutsu, the Hirashin no Jutsu. It literally means, 'Flying Thunder God Technique.'"

Seeing Yoda's nod, he continued. "This is an S-Ranked Ninjutsu, both for its' effects and its' usage. The Hirashin allows me to literally tear holes in the space-time continuum, and jump through them. In essence, I'm traveling through space-time."

Yoda's composure broke, and he gawked openly at the blonde. Naruto found this highly amusing, but kept explaining himself. "With it, I can literally be everywhere at once. In the span of a second, I tore apart the droid army down there. Since I'm the user, I am the only one who can see what's going on in between tears. Everyone else sees it as just a yellow streak, or a yellow flash. That's how my dad got his nickname, 'Konoha's Yellow Flash', as he used it to systematically eliminate most of a country's army in one battle."

Yoda had managed to compose himself by this point, and gestured to Naruto to follow him down the tree. As they landed, Yoda surveyed the landscape, and it was just as Naruto had said.

Every single droid, every single tank, had been torn to pieces. The destruction was utter and complete. Nothing would be getting up from this slaughter. Turning, he regarded Naruto. "If so powerful this technique of yours is, why use it more often, you don't? Better yet, teach it to others, you should."

Naruto shook his head. "I can't." At Yoda's speculating gaze, he elaborated. "There's a reason it's almost a Kinjutsu. The Hirashin is literally a Space-Time Ninjutsu, allowing the user to identify and tear open holes in the fabric of space and time."

"However, there is an inherent risk that comes with doing so. If you do it a split second too early, you could wind up throwing yourself hundreds of years into the future, or hundreds of years into the past. Your body would not be able to compensate for the sudden shift in years and location, and you'd either die as a shriveled old man, or you'd cease to exist period. Too late, and the jutsu will fail utterly. The backlash of which will tear you apart at the molecular level, as you are literally colliding with space-time. Naturally, the human body loses in that fight."

Seeing comprehension dawn on Yoda's face, he finished. "Naturally, I would not want to put anyone else in harm's way, and using this jutsu just poses too great a risk to the user. I'm immune to that risk because I have the devil's luck."

Yoda chuckled at the last comment, but nodded. "Understand, I do. However, useful it is, that jutsu. Keep it handy, you should, for see much combat, you will. With such a technique at your disposal, doubly so, hmm."

Naruto face-fell. "Well, crap."

Yoda chuckled. "Come. To the palace, we will go. Fail, we will not."

* * *

><p>Ventress laid her communicator on the ground, and a life-sized version of Count Dooku burst into life.<p>

"**Your Majesty. So good to see you again."**

"Likewise, Count Dooku. You were right, after all. One Jedi is not worth a hundred battle droids. Not by a long shot."

The count smirked, ready to accept the Toydarian's unyielding support of the Confederacy.

"They're not worth one hundred...more like a thousand. No, from what I've seen, the high echelons of the Jedi are worth at least ten thousand of your battle droids. I am sorry, Count Dooku, but with this demonstration, I am encouraged, now more than ever, to join the Republic and throw my lot in with the Jedi Order."

Needless to say, the Count was flabbergasted. He quickly composed himself. "I urge you to reconsider, O Wise King. You have my guarantee that you will not regret it."

The king scoffed. "Your agent ALSO promised me that Yoda and his companion would get a fair fight. I do not deal with those that break their word. It is done, Count."

The Count sighed. "Very well. I had hoped that you would listen to reason. Perhaps our negotiations will be more successful...with your SUCCESSOR! VENTRESS, KILL HIM!"

Katuunku's eyes widened in horror as she ignited her sabers. His bodyguards vainly tried to strike her down, but she merely thrust them away with the Force, knocking them unconscious.

She aimed to cut him down, yet her blades stopped mere inches from his neck. Blinking, the king watched as she groaned and struggled against an invisible force. Turning he regarded Yoda and Naruto, the latter immediately disposing of the two remaining battle droids Ventress had as bodyguards.

He sighed in relief. "Jedi Master Yoda. I am very pleased to meet you, at last."

Yoda regarded the king with a smile, his arm still outstretched as he held Ventress at bay. "Share the feeling, I do, King Katuunku."

Naruto held up a hand, and did a short wave. "Hello, ugly. How are you doing this fine evening?"

Ventress snarled, but was thrown back by Yoda as he released his hold on the Sith.

Turning Yoda regarded the visage of Count Dooku. "Failed you, Ventress has...Count."

She immediately leapt to her feet. "I _don't_ fear you, _Jedi_."

Naruto snorted. "Well, you should. This old fart is the leader of the Jedi Order for a reason, you know. It sure as hell ain't because he's pretty."

Katuunku snorted a laugh, while Yoda developed a tick mark on his head. "Watch your tongue, you should, lest it be ripped out of your mouth."

Naruto stuck his tongue out at Yoda. "Try me, frog man."

Shaking his head, Yoda looked back at Ventress. "Strong you are in the Dark Side, young one...but not THAT strong."

He made to finish Ventress off, but Naruto stayed him. "Don't. Save your surprises for another time. I'll take care of her."

She scoffed. "As if a brat like you could defeat me."

Naruto cracked his neck as he spaced himself between Yoda and the king. "Well, you never know until you try, right? So come on, young one. Try and land a hit on me. I'll even give you first crack, since I'm such a gentleman. Ladies first, and all that jazz."

With a roar of anger, she leapt at him with abandon, and Yoda could see the Count cringe. He knew firsthand that his apprentice didn't stand a chance against Naruto. Hell, HE barely stood a chance against Naruto, and he was at least three times stronger than Ventress.

Naruto effortlessly dodged her wild swings, and whistled as she tried a spin kick. "Should a lady really be using that move? I mean, if you'd been wearing a shorter dress-"

"Shut your hole, you miserable creature!" she growled, and started to retract her swings, making them more precise and sharper. Naruto saw this, and stepped up his defenses, as well.

Getting angrier and angrier, Ventress couldn't fathom why she was unable to hit the blonde. He had yet to use the Force in his defenses, and it looked like he wasn't even trying, which only served to further enrage her.

Throwing one of her blades at him, she used the distraction to break his guard, and-

_WHAM_

Ventress found herself face down rather suddenly, her mouth full of Toydarian soil. It took her a second to realize she'd been struck, and rather forcefully if the face imprint she left behind was any indication.

Looking up, she saw Naruto rubbing his fist mockingly. "Ouch, that one hurt. You have a very hard head, you know. I didn't think you'd be so tough, what with you being a girl and all."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Meanwhile, on Coruscant...<strong>_

Revan was taking a rather relaxing sonic shower, the droplets cascading down her voluptuous breasts and trailing between her legs as she washed away the day's fatigue. As she finished her shower, she grabbed a towel and made to get out.

Out of left field, a sudden urge to throttle her husband struck her with the force of a hovercar, and it surprised her so much that she slipped on the wet tile and landed on her perfectly round bottom, a yelp of surprise escaping her lips.

"_Well THAT was strange. I don't typically think about manhandling my husband unless he does something rather idiotic. Knowing him, however, he's probably done just that. I'll have to inquire as to what transpired when he gets back, and see if he gets a reward for good behavior, or a punishment for being a jackhole."_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Back on Toydaria...<strong>_

Having heard Naruto's comment, Ventress saw red. Calling her other saber into her hand, she holstered both of them and, despite her master's cries of warning, thrust her hands out in a stabbing motion, lightning flying from her fingertips towards the blonde.

Dooku couldn't believe his apprentice was directly disobeying him. He'd specifically told her that she should never use Force Lightning outside of training, as she wasn't quite proficient enough with it. The user always ran the risk of electocuting _themselves_ as well as others, but the more experienced the user was with the technique, the lesser the risk became, until a master could throw it out without a second thought, and run no risk of backlash.

Ventress, however, was nowhere near a master, and the strain on her face showed it, as well as he now charring fingertips. Naruto, however, was looking no worse for wear. As a matter of fact, he hadn't even drawn his saber to block the strike. Unknowing to onlookers, he'd used his mastery of wind to put up a buffer to her lightning, and while this lightning was of the Force, even the Force seemed to follow the basic elemental properties, and one of them was lightning's inherent weakness to wind.

Finally, she could no longer maintain the technique, and Ventress let it go, the last sparks crackling against Naruto's wind shield as her hands fell to her sides.

Smirking, Naruto let the shield dissipate. "So, I'm hoping this means you're done?"

Growling, Ventress pressed a button on her wrist communicator. She'd set explosives prior to greeting the king, in case Yoda DID manage to find his way there in time. This came back to save her skin as the whole group assembled turned to regard the explosion the det. charges caused, followed by a massive rockslide.

Yoda merely thrust both his arms out, and the rockslide stopped cold in midair. With a little effort, Yoda threw them aside, and sighed. He knew exactly what happened, and was not pleased with it.

She had taken this opportunity to hightail it out of there, and with a few Force-imbued sprints, she was on her solar sailer and rocketing off into the atmosphere as they looked on.

Turning, Naruto and Yoda regarded the stoic visage of Count Dooku. Yoda was the first to speak. "In the end, those who follow the Dark Side, cowards they are."

"It's a pity I wasn't there in person, my old Master."

"A pity indeed, my fallen apprentice."

Regarding Naruto, Dooku grinned. "And my dear friend. How are the children? Your wife? Doing well, I hope?"

Naruto snarled. "Don't talk about my family in front of me, traitor. You have no right to speak of them. Next time we meet, I'll be taking your head."

Dooku laughed mirthlessly. "So you say. But I've gotten stronger since our last encounter. Regardless, there is no reason to speak further on matters that cannot come to pass. Until next time, my old friend."

As Dooku's image faded, Naruto nodded. "Yeah...until next time."

_**I've just taken a look at the amount of episodes they've got for The Clone Wars Animated Series. I'll be frank: It's a lot. 22 episodes in 1 season. It took me two chapters to cover one episode. There are 4 seasons...so far. That's...well, that's a lot. I may very well end up cutting out a few episodes that don't revolve around central characters or events necessary to the series. Don't be hatin', it's just managing the overflow of work I'd have on my plate.**_

_**Anyway, Look forward to more.**_

_**Sgt. Assassin**_


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Grievous**

Inhaling calmly before exhaling, Naruto closed his eyes and let his body relax. Currently in the meditation chamber in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, he was trying to get some much-needed relaxation. Not of the physical sort, mind you. His wife saw to that whenever she could. Naruto grinned at this before resuming his meditation.

The war was taxing, no doubt, but doubly so for the blonde. His skill and expertise in this particular field was highly sought after by both Jedi and Republic troops, as he could practically guarantee a victory simply by being in their presence. His appearance on the battlefield would greatly increase troop morale, while simultaneously diminishing the morale of the droid commanders.

Still, that wasn't what was bothering him. The mental aspect of killing affects everyone differently, and while Naruto had had his share of taking lives, that did not make him immune to the act of slaying a Separatist commander on their knees begging for mercy. The fear in their eyes as he brought his blade down still unsettled him, but he knew it had been necessary. Prison camps were already overflowing with Separatist POW's, and the Republic couldn't afford to build new ones, as all of their resources were being directed to the war effort.

Therefore, the act of taking no prisoners had been implemented, and while it was a nasty state of affairs, it was proving to be a rather good detriment to the opposing side. Word of the Republic's wartime executions of Separatist commanders had begun to spread, and while some condemned it, claiming that it was nothing more than sanctioned murder, others had voiced their approval, hoping such acts would speed up the war and help it to draw to a close sooner.

In short, while Naruto had no qualms about slicing battle droids in twain, as they were manufactured tools of war with no souls to speak of, he detested the act of 'permanently' removing opposing commanders from the battlefield. Thus, he sought to find his inner peace once more in one of the many meditation chambers the Jedi Temple had to offer.

Unfortunately, or possibly not, he kept being drawn back to previous encounters with Separatist leaders. His short but swift fights with Asajj Ventress came to mind. The woman was skilled, but only to a degree. She wasn't nearly as proficient as she claimed to be, and if his (now newly appointed apprentice) Ahsoka could hold her own against her, then the Sith had to be scraping the bottom of the figurative barrel.

A new image, one that brought a mixture of sensations came to mind. The Supreme Commander of the Separatist Droid Armies: General Grievous. Thinking back on his mission to destroy the _Malevolence_, he couldn't help but suppress a shudder. The _Malevolence_ was a high-tech CIS flagship equipped with a planetary-sized ion cannon, capable of rendering several _Venator_-class Republic cruisers little more than driftwood in space, their shields, engines, weapons, and life-support systems knocked offline by the EMP blast it radiated.

This made said ships easy pickings for even the weakest of the Confederacy's fleet. This had been demonstrated with brutal effectiveness. Three Republic cruisers had been hit by the EMP, and had been rendered adrift as a result. The Banking Clan comm ships that acted as frigates for the Separatist fleet had torn into them with a vengeance, their laser cannons carving huge chunks out of the armor-plated hulls of the cruisers.

All three cruisers had been lost, but because of the disturbance, the Republic had managed to locate this devastating weapon, and had sent Naruto, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka to take care of it.

Once again utilizing stealth rather than brute strength, Naruto had suggested they meld with the debris of the fallen cruisers, keeping only life-support on as the _Malevolence_ searched for survivors. Both Obi-Wan and Ahsoka agreed to this, and in short order, they were adrift amongst the dead engines, broken bows, and floating bodies of the wrecked ships.

As predicted, the _Malevolence_ had come closer to inspect the debris, using scans to search for escape pods. With only their life-support systems active, Naruto and company went under the radar completely undetected, just as planned. Only when the _Malevolence_ had come about to move away from the debris did they strike.

Their fighters roaring to life, they shot through the debris, the sensors ringing in the bridge of the _Malevolence_ delivering their warning too late as Ahsoka blasted the shield generator protecting the docking bay of the flagship, Naruto and Obi-Wan slipping in behind her as the bay doors slammed shut to contain the sudden vacuum created by the lost deflector shields.

Once inside, they had made short work of the guards located throughout the docking bay, and managed to work their way up to the bridge, droids falling left and right to their tri-assault.

Only when they finally reached the bridge did they encounter any problems.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Flashback<strong>_

_The elevator doors opened, and a Super Battle Droid unleashed its' wrist cannons, followed by a missile from its' wrist-mounted launcher, the explosion spewing flame from the cabin._

_Once the smoke settled, the battle droid let its' arm fall back to its' side, seeing no one in the elevator. Walking forward, it brought its' arm back up, caution coursing through its' circuits as it inspected the empty ele-_

_Without warning, a lightsaber shot through the roof, embedding itself in the droid's head. With a low-pitched groan, it fell backwards just as the trio jumped through the roof of the elevator, Naruto bending down and picking up his blade._

"_Nice work, Master."_

_Naruto nodded at a beaming Ahsoka. He still couldn't get over the sheer approval she'd given when asked if she would like to become his apprentice. The comical look on Obi-Wan's face as he'd been all but tossed aside by an apprentice he'd known all of a day, in front of the Jedi Council no less, had been more than worth any trouble she would give him in the future._

"_Yes, rather impressive, Naruto. Hiding on the roof of a moving elevator is not something the enemy would suspect. Mostly because it's suicidal."_

_Naruto gave Obi-Wan a pointed look as the Jedi Master grinned. "You had your chance to suggest an alternative. The best you could come up with was climbing through the bloody air vents."_

_Obi-Wan shrugged. "I'm not as good as you when it comes to flying-by-the-seat-of-your-pants tactics. Mostly because I have a plan thought out ahead of time."_

_Naruto folded his arms and jerked a thumb towards the doors leading to the bridge. "We're here, aren't we?"_

"_So we are."_

"_Then stop complaining. I got us here in one piece, and-"_

"_And you WON'T be leaving that way, Jedi SCUM!"_

_Quirking an eyebrow at Obi-Wan and Ahsoka's expressions of mild horror, he turned and gazed upon the rather disturbing visage of General Grievous. He'd heard the stories, of course. Everyone in the Temple had. Hell, practically the entire Grand Army knew of the Separatist leader. He'd been nothing short of non-existent until a month or so ago, and even then, only a few Jedi and clones had managed to get a look at him and live._

_Just cresting over 7 feet tall (2.16 meters, or roughly 7 feet, 1 inch), his stature alone was not only impressive but imposing and fear-inspiring. His droid-like body reminiscent of a Krath War Droid, his face mask was purely Kaleeshian, symbolizing his heritage and his undying allegiance to Kalee, his home planet. Fingers tipped with metal rending claws, and feet more similar to hands in retrospect, he was a fearsome visage to behold._

_Naruto, however, was only slightly impressed, having dealt with much, MUCH bigger threats than the cyborg general. Making sure to place himself between Grievous and his friends, Naruto made show of giving the general a once-over. "Hmm, looks like a droid, walks like a droid, but doesn't talk like a droid. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were a newer model."_

_At this commentary, Grievous saw red. Withdrawing two lightsabers, he ignited the blades, green and blue springing to life in an instant as the droid general stalked forward. "I am General Grievous. Supreme Commander of the Separatist Droid Armies, Jedi Slayer, and Warlord of Kaleesh..." Raising his blades, he hurled himself at Naruto, lightsabers humming in the air as he swung them down. "AND I AM NO DROID!"_

_Eyes widening, Naruto brought out two sabers of his own, and brought them to bear against Grievous', all four sabers meeting in a clash of sparks and hissing whines as they grated on one another. "Jeez, calm down! Didn't know casual observation was such a sour point with you. I'll be sure to remember that in the future."_

_Growling, Grievous pushed forward, his clawed feet digging into the durasteel floor as he began to push Naruto backwards, causing both Obi-Wan and Ahsoka's eyes to widen. Naruto NEVER lost a clash of brute strength. NEVER. If Grievous could push Naruto back, they hated to think what he was truly capable of._

_Naruto grunted, and applied chakra to the soles of his shoes, his skidding immediately coming to a halt as he locked blades with the general. "I'll admit it: You're incredibly strong. I haven't had someone push me back in a bladelock in a while...at least, I haven't had a _droid_ push me back in a while."_

_Roaring, Grievous broke the lock, flinging Naruto backwards as he flung a blade forward, intent on pinning Naruto to the wall like a bug on a dango stick. Naruto managed to catch his feet on the wall, and used one of his sabers to deflect the other blade, the hilt slamming the wall next to him and deactivating, the object hitting the floor with a _CLANK_._

_Looking back, Naruto watched as Grievous pulled out another saber, igniting it before coming straight at him, the promise of death gleaming in his sickly yellow eyes. Glancing off to his right, he noticed Ahsoka and Obi-Wan engaged with Grievous' MagnaGuards, the incessant buzzing noise of their vibrostaffs annoying, to say the least._

_Refocusing on his own fight, he leapt to the side as Grievous carved a long gash into the wall, the metal hissing as it gave way under the lightsaber. Deflecting a few slashes, Naruto slipped into his fighting style as easily as one might slip into tub of water. He easily recognized Grievous' fighting style, and it gave him a sense of deja vu', as he used to utilize the exact same fighting style._

_Using his brute strength, Grievous would overpower his opponents, weakening them with each blow they deflected or blocked, until finally their exhaustion would cost them and leave a critical opening in their defenses, which allowed Grievous to cut his enemies down with ease._

_Naruto smirked, and simply allowed Greivous to make him backpedal, deflecting or blocking each blow he made and letting Grievous believe that this fight would go like all the others. What finally gave it away to his opponent was that Naruto was not tiring like the others had, and had yet to falter in any of his defenses._

"_You're good, Jedi. Good, but not good enough. I'm better." he growled, an uphanded swing blocked by a downhanded sweep of Naruto's blade._

"_Well, that's more than can be said about you, General. You're form is sloppy, you're telegraphing your attacks, and I could have taken both of your arms off by now if you weren't constantly on the attack. As it stands, you won't beat me like this."_

_Grievous chuckled darkly. "Really? In that case..." Locking sabers with Naruto once more, he couldn't help but laugh at Naruto's expression, eyes widening as he saw Grievous detach his two hidden arms from his main arms, both reaching down and grasping two more lightsabers. He barely managed to break the lock before they came around, slicing through the air where he had just been._

'Four arms? This guy has FOUR ARMS? Chucklefucking hell!'_ Readjusting his stance, Naruto reversed the grip on his left saber, adopting a Jar'Kai defensive stance as Grievous began twirling his blades, his wrists rotating and cutting shallow grooves into the floor. Leaping forward, he was just about to engage Naruto when a sudden explosion rocked the deck, sending both fighters tumbling around in the corridor._

_Ahsoka poked her head out of a nearby door, and Obi-Wan was right behind her. "Naruto, I think it's time to go."_

_Naruto quirked an eyebrow, especially when the warning klaxons began sounding off with vehemence. "What did you two do?"_

_Seeing that even General Grievous was waiting for a response, Ahsoka pointed to Obi-Wan. "It was all his fault! He made me do it!"_

"_Come off it, young one! It was YOUR curiosity that caused it!"_

_Grievous growled, "What have you fools done to my ship?" The general was getting rather impatient with their babbling excuses; Naruto shared that sentiment._

"_Obi-Wan made me-" "Ahsoka decided to-" "No, it was YOUR fault-" "I did nothing of the sort-"_

"_WILL YOU TWO JUST SPIT IT OUT, ALREADY?" roared Naruto._

_Both parties pointed to one another. "He/She set off the self-destruct sequence!"_

_There was a pause, a heavy silence save the wailing of the warning klaxons. Suddenly, the doors to the bridge opened up, and scores of battle droids began scuttling out of the bridge, their mechanize screams carrying as they fled down the hall towards the escape pods._

_Grievous growled, then sheathed his lightsabers, letting his second arms re-attach themselves to the main arms. "It seems our fight must be postponed, thanks to your idiotic comrades."_

_Naruto snorted. "Tell me about it." Ignoring their cries of protest, he nodded towards the general. "Be seeing you."_

"_As will I, Jedi scum."_

_With that, the Supreme Commander of the Droid Armies dashed off down the hall, heading for the escape pods as well._

_Turning to Ahsoka and Obi-Wan, the former having the decency to blush and look ashamed, he folded his arms. "So, while I fought the four-armed giant from hell, you guys managed to mop up his MagnaGuards. That's a point in your favor. You're off to a good start."_

"_Then you decided that, instead of HELPING ME, you were going to go find a way to shut down that ion cannon of theirs. Not necessarily the choice I would have LIKED you'd have made, but I can let that slide."_

"_What I CANNOT FATHOM, however, is the shear, unadulterated STUPIDITY that brought on the brilliant idea that you would press the bumblefucking self-destruct button, and everything would be alright!"_

_Obi-Wan looked at him, drew in a breath, and..."Well, it WAS her id-"_

"_FOR THE LOVE OF KAMI!" Heaving his hands into the air, he grabbed both of their hands, and disappeared in a flash of yellow light, reappearing next to their starfighters. Not even looking back, he leapt into his, and let his engines roar to life._

_Looking at one another, they both shrugged before jumping into their fighters, using their cannons to blast a sizable hole in the plating. Rocketing out of the ship, they managed to put a decent distance between themselves and the _Malevolence_ before she exploded, ripples shuddering along the outer hull before tearing it apart, the ship ripping itself asunder._

_Hesitantly, Ahsoka turned on her comm. "Master?" When she got no reply, she dared to continue. "How did you get us back to the docking bay?"_

_He grunted, but replied. "My father's technique, remember? The Hirashin? I always keep one of the kunai in the cockpit of my fighter."_

_Ahsoka 'ahh'd' in response, but didn't say anything else...until..."Master?"_

"_Hmm?"_

"_...I'm sorry."_

"_It's okay, Ahsoka. I know you didn't mean to do it on purpose."_

_She sighed, but felt better._

"_As for you, on the other hand..."_

_Obi-Wan paled slightly. "Come now, Naruto. You heard it yourself. She did it, not me."_

"_Yeah, but when I'm not around, YOU are supposed to be in charge, ne?"_

_He nodded his head, then nearly smacked it when he remembered Naruto couldn't see him. "Yes, of course."_

"_Then start acting like it, baka. If Ahsoka is about to do something that's not...wise, it's you're job to point that out and stop it."_

_He sighed. "Fine, I apologize."_

"_Apology accepted."_

_Obi-Wan smiled despite himself._

* * *

><p><em><strong>END FLASHBACK<strong>_

They'd managed to work their way back to a Republic cruiser that had come to ascertain the status of the mission, as their hyperspace rings had been destroyed in the blast. Upon reporting their mission was a success, Yoda himself had congratulated the trio and seen to it that they received some R&R, something that they all desperately took advantage of.

Shaking his head to try and clear the thoughts from his mind, Naruto sighed. He'd be honest with himself: He wished he'd taken care of Grievous then and there. As it was, several more reports of Jedi falling to the droid general's hand had been received, and even Jedi Master Kit Fisto had a brush with him. Although he'd managed to hold his own against the four-armed beast, he'd been driven to retreat when more droids started showing up, and the odds were steadily growing further from his favor.

Still, he'd survived, and that was more than what could be said for the dozen or so Jedi Grievous already had slain, their lightsabers nothing but trophies on his belt now.

Sighing again, and feeling that that was all he did nowadays, he rose and headed back to his quarters. Upon entering, he was greeted by Kushina, who wrapped her daddy's leg in a vice and nuzzled her cheek against it. "Hiya, daddy~"

Bending down, he extracted his leg from her hold and swept her up in a hug. "Oooh, hello baby. How are you doing?"

She cocked her head to the side. "I'm okay. HK's been pretty skittish, though. I think Anko is trying to take him apart again."

Naruto chuckled, and shook his head. "Your sister has an inquisitive streak, no doubt."

Kushina blinked. "What's inquivitiz?"

Naruto grinned, and kissed her cheek. "Inquisitive, honey. It means she's very curious."

Kushina 'oh'd' even as he set her down. "Now go play, dear. Daddy has to take a shower, okay?"

Nodding, she smiled and skipped off. Pushing up from his squatting position, he was wrapped in another hug, this time from Revan.

"Welcome back, love."

Wrapping his arms around her, he nuzzled her neck and squeezed back. "Thanks, koi."

Pulling away, she looked at him. "So, how was your meditation?"

Sighing, he pulled away and palmed his face. "Not so good. I couldn't get my mind off of...well, everything. You, the kids, Obi-Wan, the Jedi, Grievous, Dooku..."

Revan walked behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, letting her chin rest in the crook of his neck. "You mentioned Dooku several times the other day."

Naruto nodded. "I spoke with him on Tatooine, when we were rescuing Jabba's son. He seemed...withdrawn, almost sad, like he didn't want to be a part of this. It was strange."

Revan frowned, adopting a thinking look. "Did it seem like he was putting on a front?"

Naruto shook his head slightly. "No, and that's what confuses me. He says he's doing it for, in his words, the greater good. He said diplomacy and negotiation have failed, and that this is the only recourse left to him. He wants to change the Jedi, not destroy them. So he claims, at least."

Revan nodded, kissing her beloved's neck as she snuggled against him. "But then why start a war? Why not remain with the Jedi Order and work to change them from within?"

Naruto shook his head again. "I don't know, hime. And then, on Toydaria, he'd reverted back to his conniving, cruel self. I could see it in his eyes. It made me so mad, like he'd been toying with me the whole time on Tatooine. And yet...it seemed like a mask. A front he constructed, a persona he'd adopted. Almost like he was lost, or confused."

Shaking his head for the fourth time, he sighed. "I don't know, kobito. Back when I wore masks all the time, I'd be able to tell in a heartbeat what he's hiding. But now? I just don't know."

Having slowly drug Naruto towards the couch during his answer, she plopped down with him beside her, stroking his unruly golden hair as she kissed his neck again. "With time, I'm sure you'll figure it out. Don't go rushing headlong into things, or you'll only end up confused, dear."

Grunting, Naruto nodded. "Thanks, Rev."

She smiled. "No problem, dear. Now, I was wondering if you were up for something?"

Not liking the tone in her voice, he turned and regarded the gleam in her eye with trepidation. "What is it?"

Letting her hand snake around his front, she ghosted it over his clothed chest before darting lower and cupping a part of him that made him gasp in surprise. "I was thinking of having some fun with my husband. Would you like to participate? Because it's going to happen either way."

Groaning, Naruto tried to disentangle himself from his wife, his pants rapidly becoming uncomfortable as she teased and stroked him through his clothing. "Rev...we can't...Kushina-"

"Is playing with HK."

Managing to squirm his way out of her grasp, he began to backpedal towards the bathroom, his sheepish grin a stark contrast to her predatory gaze. "I...er, well...I'd love to, honey, I really would...but I have to...um...TAKE A SHOWER! That's it! I have to take a shower. So sorry. Maybe later, 'kay?"

Without waiting for a response, he darted into the bathroom and closed the door. Sighing, he listened for the sound of footsteps, and when there were none, he nearly sagged against the door. While he'd been meditating, like he'd told her he was going to do, he'd also sparred rather heavily with Windu, and while the Vaapad master WAS improving, he still managed to kick his butt around the arena. Not without a few bruises from Windu, however. Vaapad sure was nasty.

Snapping from his thoughts, he'd disrobed and had just turned the sonic shower on when a _SNAP-HISS_ echoed through the room, followed by a red and purple blade jutting through the door. A rather unmanly squeak came from Naruto as he watched his wife cut a searing hole through the door, the piece falling to the tile floor as she sheathed her blades and stepped inside, replacing the piece of door where she'd just cut it out.

"R-rev, honey, dear...what are you doing?"

Turning towards him, he squeaked again when she laid her eyes on his naked form. Licking her lips, she looked up into his eyes. "Why dearest, I don't know what you mean. I'm just sharing a shower with my husband. Is that so wrong?"

Even as she began to disrobe herself, Naruto managed to stutter out a response. "Well, y-you see...I was h-hoping for some time to myself, and-"

Suddenly finding himself pinned against the tile wall, he gazed into her ravenous eyes. "You've had FAR too much time to yourself, love~ It's about time you and I had a little...quality time together."

"Q-q-quality time?"

She purred, and let her hand stroke his rapidly hardening member. "Oh yes...quality time."

Gulping, Naruto looked around for escape routes. To his dismay, he found none.

Smirking, she grasped him and tugged, pulling him towards the shower. "Besides, I feel like a shower, too."

Chuckling, Naruto shrugged. At least he wouldn't have to worry about falling asleep tonight. If what he thought Revan had planned for him came to pass, he'd be too tired to think of anything else.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, that's Chapter 7. Not a lot of action, and mostly flashbacks, but a necessary plot point for future events, as well as giving me a grand excuse to skip a bunch of useless episodes (useless to the plot, at least.)<strong>

**As far as lemons go, I figure I'd put this to a poll. Depending on the response, I may or may not add another one to the story. I'm doing so with trepidation, seeing as I've been informed multiple times by various sources that is cracking down heavily on any fics that go higher than an M-rating (Mine could be considered an MA-rating, for explicit violence and detailed sexual scenarios.) So take that into consideration when you vote. Please and thank you!**

**-Sgt. Assassin**

**P.S – You will need to go to my profile to vote; It will be up at the very top of the profile page. This poll will be open for 7 days. It begins as of Thursday, June 14th, 2012, and will end as of Thursday, June 21st, 2012.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Past Events**

_Sweat trickling down her brow, Revan wiped it off angrily as she dodged another chakra rod from one of the cloaked assailants, her lightsaber burning through nothing but air as she missed yet again, to her ever-growing frustration._

_She still had yet to work out how all six of them could see where she was going to attack, even if they had their eyes closed. Normally, it would be absolutely impossible, especially if the person was distracted until the last possible moment. She'd nearly lopped off the fat one's head, only to have him duck the swipe and try and drain her energy dry, something she'd seen happen to a rather unfortunate Konoha nin who had been fighting him previously._

_The summoner was sitting back, watching idly with two other orange-haired compatriots. Strangely enough, all six of them had orange hair and purple, ringed eyes; that wasn't the only oddity, though: strange, piercing-like objects protruded from their faces, arms, necks, and pretty much anywhere she could see bare flesh. They looked like piercings, at least; with these six, she wasn't undoubtedly sure about much._

_Second of the three fighters she was currently engaged with was of slim build, long orange hair whipping as he dodged a Force-push. She'd seen his technique as well: He had the ability to literally rip the souls of his victims clean from their still-living bodies. Such a technique was certainly a kinjutsu, she thought; no person in their right mind walks around tearing immortal souls from passerby's like pulling a thorn from a hand._

_The third fighter, one she was SURE wasn't human, shot a rocket from its' wrist, her saber slicing cleanly through it as it exploded behind her, causing her hair to billow wildly. It had the ability to wield all sorts of foul contraptions: from the missiles in its' wrist, to its' detachable arms; from its' chakra-powered rocket boots to the serrated tail produced from its' lower back, it was more machine than man._

_The fourth man was standing next to the summoner, staring intently at the fight in a disturbingly similar manner to the summoner. She had no idea what this one's techniques were, but if she went by the other's penchant for destruction, she'd guess it would be a devastating technique._

_Finally, there was the leader of the group. The one that had caused so much death and destruction to the village of Konoha. The supreme leader of Akatsuki, and the inheritor of the Rinnegan, the supposed doujutsu of the Rikudou Sennin (Sage of Six Paths). The one known as Pein._

_He'd started a skirmish within Konohagakure's walls, searching for Naruto who'd gone off to train with the toads on Mount Myouboku. While the Konoha nin knew he was searching in vain, they continued to act as if they were protecting the boy from him, which only fueled his search for the Jinchuuriki. In the end, they hadn't been able to keep Naruto's absence from Konoha a secret for long, and Pein discovered his quarry wasn't in the village._

_With Naruto M.I.A, Pein had no further use for the populace of Konoha, so he set about destroying the village with the simplest, yet most devastating technique at his disposal: Shinra Tensei. The likes of Kakashi and the late Sannin Jiraiya could attest that it was a most powerful technique, but nowhere NEAR this scale. No, this one had a good deal of Pein's chakra put into it, and the results showed it._

_Konoha was leveled; dirt carved itself from the ground as buildings, animals, people, and everything within radius was violently thrust outward, the deafening roar of splintering wood, breaking rock, and twisting metal echoing as Konoha was turned into a parking lot, the debris literally forcing open the giant gates that were supposed to protect the village, twisted wreckage spilling into the surrounding forest as a giant crater replaced what was once a thriving village. Now the place reeked of death._

_Revan could only surmise that that was the reason he'd yet to enter the fray, and why the other two were holding back. They were guarding him while he built up his strength, recovering from the vast amount of chakra he spent turning an entire village into a barren wasteland. The very thought angered her, and she slipped slightly in her emotions, letting the Dark Side snag hold and fuel her swipes, her anger channelling itself into precision and power._

_Still, it wasn't enough; despite her overwhelming skill and incredible power, she couldn't harm them if she couldn't HIT them. For some reason, a reason which escaped her right now, they were able to PREDICT her every move, and could dodge her swipes as if they knew what she was thinking before she did. The result was that they were dancing around her, barely attacking and letting her wear herself out._

_She knew that, at the rate this was going, she wasn't going to last much longer. However, she also knew that if she stopped, the remaining LIVING citizens and ninja of Konoha would be fair game to Pein and his orange-haired gang. As it stood, Kakashi was dead, Tsunade was far too weak to be of any aid, having used all of her chakra to protect as many people as she could with Katsuya, and everyone else was either seriously injured or, like Tsunade, too fatigued to be of any assistance. She was their last line of defense, and both she and Pein knew it._

_Concentration slipping for just a second, the lack of defense was all the machine-man needed, a chakra-powered punch fracturing several ribs as it connected. Blood flying from her mouth, Revan flew backwards into the rubble, clutching her stomach and hissing. Staggering to her feet, she panted heavily as she drew on the Force to heal her injuries, constant fighting having sapped her strength greatly._

"_So, it seems you've finally found an end to your inexhaustible energy, woman." Turning her head slightly, she regarded the voice of Pein, his five fellows gathering next to him as he droned on in a monotone voice, void of any interest or care. "While you indeed lasted longer than either Kakashi-san or Jiraiya-sensei, you were fighting a losing battle, nonetheless. I am a god, you see. No mere mortal can kill a god."_

_Spitting blood-coated saliva, Revan smirked as she wiped her mouth. "You're not a god, Pein. You may act like one, and I'll daresay you may even fight like one, but you are no god. The only god I know has blonde hair, a raucous personality, and can't sit still when ramen is mentioned in a conversation. Sadly, he's not here right now, but I'll be more than happy to deliver your beating in his place."_

_Chuckling, Pein leveled a slightly amused look at Revan, even as he sent his Asura Path to deliver the final blow. "Tough talk coming from a dead woman. This god shall see your existence at an end."_

_Igniting her sabers, Revan made to carve the charging path into pieces, but shielded her eyes as a blinding cloud of smoke filled the area, the Asura Path forced to halt its' attack as the smoke killed all lines of sight, making any attack useless._

_Several tense seconds passed, the hiss of the smoke the only noise in the area. Slowly, it dispersed, the fog lifting and parting to reveal a welcome sight for all: Three giant toad summons. Some villagers even shouted about the return of Jiraiya, but Revan knew who it was the moment he arrived._

_Golden locks blew in the breeze, the blood-red coat with black flames billowing behind him as the scroll strapped to his back shifted slightly. Arms folded, eyes closed, expression blank. As if a switch was flipped, Naruto's eyes flew open, orange pigment and yellow frog eyes the only noticeable physical changes about him._

_Eyes hardening into a cursory stare, Naruto peered through the dimming smoke, looking for his beloved village in the distance. He could make out the Hokage Monument, but couldn't see any other landmarks, like the Hokage Tower, or Ichiraku's._

_Frowning, he turned and regarded Shima just as Fukasaku spoke. "Kaa-chan, I thought'chu were summonin' us to Konoha."_

_Face grim, Shima replied, "This IS Konoha. Or what's left of it after Pein destroyed it."_

_Shock registered on both of their faces, Naruto's quickly hardening into one of pure rage. Just then, the smoke cleared to reveal Pein staring up at Naruto, his expression one of slight anticipation._

"_So, you've come."_

_Immediately, all 6 Paths formed a perimeter around him, keeping him safe while he continued to gather strength. "Good. That saves me the trouble of tracking you down myself. I will admit I was surprised when I learned you weren't in Konoha. I didn't take you for the type to let your village fight your battles for you. I'm glad I was proven correct, even if it DID take you some time to return."_

_Leaping down from Gamabunta's head, Naruto glared heartily at Pein. "You...**YOU**..."_

_Pein turned his head, regarding Revan with one eye. "Saved by the Jinchuuriki. You should be so grateful. Normally, I would completely ignore you in favor of capturing him, but with you..." The Asura Path soared towards her once more, Revan's eyes widening at the sudden lack of distance between them. "...I'll make an exception. Die."_

_An explosion rocked the ground, and Revan stared as the Asura Path was driven into the ground by Naruto's Rasengan, its' body tearing open as metal pieces and parts showered everywhere while the Rasengan drilled into it with the force of a chainsaw._

_Once the Asura Path was reduced to scrap metal, its' various limbs scattered and its' head at Naruto's feet, he was satisfied that the body beneath him would not get up again. Naruto stood and leveled a hate-filled glare at Pein. "Your opponent is **ME**, and **NO OTHER**!"_

_Pein nodded, "So it would seem."_

_Behind them, Gamabunta chuckled. "Jii-san, doesn't he remind you of those two?"_

_Fukasaku smiled. "He sure does." '_Naruto-chan has finally surpassed his predecessors. Jiraiya-chan would be so proud.'

_Without turning, Naruto spoke. "Rev, let me handle this guy. You don't need to waste your power on the likes of him."_

_Chuckling, she grinned at his back. "Fine, I'll stay out of this one. Just don't complain if I give you pointers on your sloppy fighting style."_

_She frowned when he didn't reply. "...Naruto?"_

"_Revan."_

_She stopped when he used her full name. He only did so when he was deadly serious. "Yes?"_

"_I know that this isn't the appropriate time to ask this...but now that I've mastered Senjutsu...I'm able to sense everyone's chakra..."_

_Revan tensed, knowing where this question was headed, but unable to stop it. "Has...has Kakashi-sensei been sent on a mission? Is he out of the village right now?" Sensing his hope through the Force, Revan didn't have the heart to tell him otherwise, and stayed silent._

_Naruto grit his teeth, an audible grinding noise reaching her ears. "I see...I thought as much..."_

_A complete and utter sadness permeated her, the agony at losing his sensei, one of his precious people, was palpable through the Force. So strong was this feeling that Revan had to bite her lip in order not to cry herself._

_Pein interrupted Naruto's silent grieving. "Uzumaki Naruto...I've waited far too long for this. Quit your stalling and hurry up, so that I may capture the Nine-Tails."_

_He barely finished his statement before the Animal Path slammed her palm down, a cry of , "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" echoing through the air. A large plume of smoke erupted, and a rhinoceros summon shot out of the cloud, it's huge horn barreling forward._

_Eyes shot up, Naruto glared at the animal before catching the charging beast, skidding to a halt mere feet from Revan. A shout of rage was followed by him tossing the animal skyward, its' bellow of surprise echoing as it flew vertically into the air._

_Another cry of, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!", and two more summons charged forward from the resulting cloud of smoke, one a winged dog and another a fur-covered ox._

_Fukasaku and Shima, having transferred over from Gamabunta's head prior to all this, leapt from their perches on Naruto's scroll. Reaching the peak of their jump, they slapped their hands together and cried, "Senpou: Kawazu Naki! (Sage Tech: Frog Call)" A loud screeching noise erupted from their open mouths, and the summons stopped in their tracks, shaking their heads side to side as they roared in discomfort and disorientation._

_Naruto shot forward, his infamous cross-seal formed in a heartbeat. As he passed between the summons, two clones popped up on either side of him. Hands together, they began to form the Rasengan, and once ready, took both balls of energy and proffered them upwards, senjutsu flowing into the orbs and increasing their size dramatically._

_Leaping forward, they rammed their jutsu into the summons from behind with a cry of, "Senpou: Oodama Rasengan! (Sage Tech: Big Ball Rasengan)" before vanishing in puffs of smoke._

_As the summons soared into the air to join their friend, Fukasaku and Shima landed, the former turning to the three giants behind him. "Bunta-chan! Ken-chan! Hiro-chan! Now!"_

_With a nod, all three leapt upwards. Pulling out his large tanto, Gamabunta neatly beheaded the rhino, blood showering the crater as it dispelled in a puff of smoke._

_Gamahiro drew his katana in the blink of an eye, sheathing them a second later. Seconds passed before the oxen was sheared into thirds, organs and flesh raining down in pools of blood before it, too, dispelled in a puff of smoke._

_Gamaken attacked the winged dog purposefully, as he'd fought it before and knew exactly how to dispatch it without causing it to multiply. Bringing his sasumata across in a horizontal arc, he slammed it into the torso of the dog, causing it to yelp in anguish, the sound of ribs snapping deafening._

_Slamming his blunt weapon into the creature several more times at various angles, he reared back and delivered the finishing blow, cracking his weapon across the dog's snout, causing the head to jerk violently to the side. A _CRACK_ was heard, and the dog fell limply to the ground, neck obviously broken before it dispelled within a huge cloud of smoke._

_Meanwhile, Naruto continued to close in on the Path formation. The portly one leapt forward to engage him, and he cocked his fist back as he swung, intent on decking Naruto from the get-go. Naruto easily dodged this, and swung back of his own accord. Like Naruto, this Path easily dodged his attack. Back and forth they went, and it soon became obvious to Naruto that this Path wasn't just dodging his attacks; he was anticipating them._

_It came to a head when he brought his hand in front of his opponent's eyes, merely a distraction for the left hook that came whizzing at his head. The Path's eyes followed the hand, as predicted, but he still managed to dodge the punch that came at him via his blind spot, and again when the follow-up kick was deflected._

_Revan's insight came as a welcome relief. "They can somehow anticipate your attacks, Naruto! It's like they can see where you're going to punch before you do!"_

_Leaping backwards, Naruto smirked as he looked at the other Paths, each staring intently at their fight. "So THAT'S it...no wonder even Frog Kumite was having no effect on him..." Chuckling, he clenched his fist. "Then how about an attack that they CAN'T see?"_

_Running towards the Hungry Ghost Path, he didn't even blink when a chakra rod shot out of its' sleeve and into its' grasp, the makeshift weapon gleaming black against the sunlight. He reared back and threw his punch, ducking his head to the left to avoid being stabbed in the eye by the rod._

_As expected, the Path dodged his fist, but was completely caught off-guard when his cheek caved inward, his eyes widening slightly before he was sent hurtling off to the right, skipping and bouncing off the hard ground before he came to a rest, his body slamming into the ground and cratering it slightly. He didn't even twitch afterwards._

_Glancing towards the now-dead Hungry Ghost Path, Pein then glared back at Naruto. "How did you manage to hit us? Your fist clearly missed us."_

_Naruto barked out a laugh. "You'll find I'm full of surprises. It's best not to underestimate me. My range of attack is much bigger than what you can see."_

_Pein's eyes widened, and Naruto knew that somehow, he'd given away his secret. "Range of attack...I see...you've become a Sage." Naruto winced inwardly at that, his secret exposed to the enemy. "Just like Jiraiya-sensei, you've mastered the same jutsu as he has."_

_Naruto stood there in shock, not believing what he'd just heard. "...J-Jiraiya...sensei?"_

_Pein smirked. "Yes, or I should say 'former' sensei. I had the privilege of learning jutsu from him, and he was my first and only teacher. You could say that this would make us, 'sibling disciples'. Therefore, we should, at least theoretically, be able to understand one another. Wouldn't you agree?"_

_Naruto's eyes hardened as he continued. "Our master desired peace. This much was certain. I am following in his footsteps, carrying out his dream where he himself failed to do so. I shall grant this world a gift, the gift of peace everlasting."_

_Two clones poofed into existence, and a shrill humming noise tore through the air. "Shut the HELL up!"_

_Cocking an eyebrow, Pein watched as Naruto held a jutsu aloft in his right hand, the screeching noise getting louder as the Rasenshuriken grew in size, from a normal-sized Rasengan to slightly bigger than a fuma shuriken, four prongs whirling with such speed that even his Rinnegan couldn't count the rotations._

"_Wh-what the heck is that?" cried Shima, utterly dumbfounded at the technique before her. "S-such a massive amount of chakra! Tou-chan, did you teach the boy this?"_

_Shaking his head, Fukasaku was barely able to respond over his awe. "No...this is the first time I've ever seen such a technique. Trust me when I say he never showed THAT during our training. Besides it's overwhelming power, what is Naruto-chan planning to DO with it?"_

_With his other hand, Naruto gestured to the complete and utter devastation surrounding them, the countless bodies strewn about in the rubble. "What the FUCK are you talking about? PEACE? LOOK AROUND YOU! All that you've done here, the countless lives you've taken, the terror and fear and pain you've wrought, and you have the GALL to claim it's for peace? WHERE'S THE PEACE IN MASS MURDER?"_

_The clones dispersed, and Pein replied. "You're merely looking at the tree, forgetting the forest even exists. You are uneducated in the true meaning of peace. You know not what you spout. You are ignorant, and yet a crucial part to my plan."_

_Pein held out a hand to Naruto, as if offering him to take it. "So let yourself be captured. Give up, and accept your fate. Your death...will be the gateway to the true, everlasting peace our master desired."_

_Naruto snapped, cocking his arm back even as he spoke, "I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU...**TO SHUT THE HELL UP!**" Whipping his arm forward, he hurled the Rasenshuriken towards the four Paths, shocking everyone present._

_Revan knew quite a bit about the way chakra worked, even if she could use little of it herself. So to see Naruto hurl that technique like one would hurl a frisbee was startling to even her. '_How can he throw something with such a large amount of chakra, and an even higher rotation? It shouldn't be possible, even for him!'

_In less than a second, the Rasenshuriken had closed the distance between them. Pein and his Naraka Path leapt clear in time, but his Animal Path was too stunned to move. The Human Path turned to her and grabbed her collar, hurling her clear of the attack just as it expanded, the prongs becoming a sawblade as they carved through the Human Path, his lower body falling to the ground as his upper body was sheared into smaller and smaller pieces._

_The remaining 3 watched as the ball then exploded, thousands upon thousands of attacks reducing what was left of the Human Path to mere ashes. Turning towards Naruto, Pein spoke. "Deidara was right. You don't listen to reason."_

_Sucking in air, Naruto exhaled heavily as he shot forward, engaging the Animal Path next. Pein watched as Naruto's movements seemed to slow down with each attack, dodging becoming easier and easier._

_Ducking a swipe, then backflipping away from an axe-kick, the Animal Path landed next to the Naraka Path as Naruto took a short breather. Pein smirked as he figured it out. "You're slowing down...you're running out of Sage Chakra, aren't you? Did that last attack drain so much from you?"_

_Naruto inwardly cursed. '_He's right, much as I hate to admit it. Rasenshuriken does a number to my senjutsu, and with the various Rasengan I've used already, I'm almost out of it.' _Looking towards the Animal Path, he nodded to himself. _'I've got to take this one out, at least, before my Sage Mode runs completely dry.'

_Sensing an incoming object, Naruto reached out and grasped it. Turning it over in his hand, he blinked as he recognized Revan's lightsaber. Turning to her, he gestured towards the weapon._

"_Figured you could use a hand. I haven't been training you in sword combat for nothing, you know."_

_Smiling, he nodded and ignited the saber, the purple blade humming to life as he charged the orange-haired girl. Chakra rod in hand, she attempted to stab him in the gut, but he skillfully skirted the edge of the weapon, bringing his own down in a backhanded arc._

_She dodged it, and attempted to stab him again. Once more, he skirted the edge, the rounded object only good for thrusting and stabbing. Slashing and cutting were not options with chakra rods, and they both knew it. A third attempt, then a fourth. After the fifth failed attempt, the Animal Path was about to retreat and regroup with her companions. Naruto couldn't have that, so he struck fast and hard._

_Parrying her rod with the hilt of his weapon, he swung around and attempted to meet her in a clash of blades, knowing full well what would happen if he succeeded. He was gambling on Pein not knowing the unrivaled cutting power of the lightsaber, and it paid off._

_Attempting to block his blade, her eyes widened considerably when the purple saber sheared through the chakra rod like a hot knife through butter. In the time it took to blink, Naruto had carved his way through her rod and continued into her right shoulder, making a diagonal arc through her body and coming out at her left hip._

_Panting heavily, Naruto slumped to one knee, the orange pigment fading as he dropped out of Sage Mode. Even as he deactivated Revan's saber, the Animal Path finally showed its' damage, the two halves sliding apart before collapsing to the ground separately._

_Not the least bit concerned about having lost his fourth Path, Pein cocked his head ever so slightly. "You've finally exhausted your senjutsu. No more Sage Mode for you, I take it."_

_Scowling, Naruto began to remove the scroll from his back. Pein suddenly sprinted forward. "Now's my chance to finish this."_

_Sprinting away, Naruto began to remove the straps covering the scroll, when Pain landed in front of him. "You're not getting away, Jinchuuriki."_

_Fukasaku landed behind Naruto, arms held out. "Naruto-chan! Give it to me! I'll do it!"_

_Wordlessly, Naruto tossed him the scroll and blocked an attack from Pein, deflecting a punch with his forearm before spinning into a roundhouse kick at his opponent's face. It was blocked, and the fighting continued._

_Hopping away, Fukasaku met Shima and Revan halfway. "I've got it. Quickly, Kaa-chan, help me open this."_

"_What is it?" Revan inquired, looking between the scroll and Naruto, who was currently fighting both the Naraka Path and the Deva Path._

"_Yeah, Tou-chan. Can't we just merge with him like we did with Jiraiya-chan?"_

_Fukasaku shook his head even as he began unraveling the scroll. "The Kyuubi prevents us from merging with him. I've tried many times, and each result was the same: complete and utter rejection."_

_Shima paled. "Then what are we supposed to DO?"_

_Revan helped Fukasaku unravel the rather long scroll. "I take it Naruto came up with something?"_

_Fukasaku grinned. "Naruto-chan sure did. It's rather ingenious, if I do say so myself."_

_With the scroll unfurled, Fukasaku slammed his hand down on the seal. "Gyaku Kuchiyose no Jutsu! (Reverse Summoning Technique)"_

_With a puff of smoke, a clone of Naruto in Sage Mode appeared, seated in the lotus position still gathering senjutsu._

_Like flicking a switch to turn on a lightbulb, Revan instantly realized the plan. "Create a Shadow Clone, have it gather Natural Energy, then have it disperse itself and give the energy to Naruto, allowing him to re-enter Sage Mode without sitting still! It's BRILLIANT!"_

_Fukasaku grinned. "I thought so, too. But there's a problem. While gathering Natural Energy, that limits the amount of chakra that Naruto can disperse between clones. Otherwise, he cannot balance the energy properly. This means that he' s limited to the creation of four clones, two to gather Natural Energy, and two to help him create that technique of his, among other things."_

_Revan nodded as Shima spoke up. "So that means...he can only re-enter Sage Mode a total of two times, not counting the energy he started with."_

_Fukasaku nodded. "Once the two clones are used up, he will have to remain completely still in order to re-gather the senjutsu again, and with an enemy like Pein, that's not possible without loads of support. In other words-"_

_Revan finished his thought. "In other words, once these two clones are gone, it's over."_

_Looking over at Naruto, she managed to get his attention. "Naruto! It's here. Have it dispel!"_

_Nodding, Naruto did just that. His movements stopped, he lowered his head and stood stock still. Pein let his Naraka Path disengage, figuring he didn't need it for the finishing blow. "It's over, Jinchuuriki." Letting another chakra rod slip into his grasp, he reared back and thrust it towards Naruto's chest-_

CRACK

_Pein blinked, staring at his broken chakra rod. Eyes widening, he looked up at Naruto, his eyes yellow once more and surrounded by orange pigment. Pein barely had time to register this before he was on the defensive, blocking several hard hits from Naruto that left his arms completely numb with each punch. A sudden, swift kick was barely blocked, but with a sizable chunk of senjutsu behind the blow, it was impossible to completely block it, and Pein was sent skidding across the ground, rolling to a stop several yards away from him._

_He looked up in time to see Naruto with two clones at his side, a Rasenshuriken fully formed in his hand._

_'_This is impossible! He's in Sage Mode? But HOW? He used the last of his senjutsu to destroy my Animal Path."

_Pein barely had time to register the Rasenshuriken being thrown before it had crossed the distance between them._

'Got you!' _thought Naruto._

_It had gotten within two yards of Pein before a large individual landed in front of him, arms outstretched as a strange barrier engulfed the two, the Rasenshuriken impacting it and stopping in its' tracks._

_Naruto and his clones gasped. One of them asked the question all of them were thinking. "It's him! But we took care of him!"_

_The Hungry Ghost Path then began to absorb the technique, the Rasenshuriken breaking apart as it was reduced to its' base components of regular and wind chakra, the energy sucked into the barrier before the barrier itself dispersed, leaving both occupants unharmed._

_Naruto looked off to his left, and saw the Naraka Path, standing next to what could only be described as a giant head, its' mouth closing. Next to it was the person-sized crater where the Hungry Ghost Path had been. Putting two and two together, Naruto could only surmise that this Pein had the power to resurrect his companions. That made him the most dangerous one right now, and it put him at the top of his priority list._

_Holding his hands out, both of his clones formed a faux-Rasengan, designed to create massive amounts of smoke, aka, Smoke Bombs. Slamming them into the ground, a huge plume of red-colored smoke engulfed the Naruto's, parting suddenly to reveal a Rasenshuriken screaming towards the Paths._

_Smirking, Hungry Ghost Path held his hands up again, the barrier forming as before. "It's useless, you stupid-"_

_As the technique impacted the barrier, it went up in a plume of smoke, catching the Path completely off-guard._

"_Wha-"_

"_GOTCHA!"_

_Slamming bodily into the Path, the original Naruto tackled him with the skill and finesse of a pro-linebacker, taking him to the ground hard. "You absorbed a jutsu, all right...a HENGE!"_

_Soon as he spoke, the REAL Rasenshuriken screamed out of the dissipating smoke, coming to within inches of Pein's neck. Just as it looked like decapitation was imminent, Pein widened his eyes, and the technique exploded into streams of chakra, violently ripped apart by an invisible force._

_Pein smirked, looking at the shocked faces of the assembled crowd. "My power has returned."_

_Revan grit her teeth, and cursed violently. "We're screwed."_

_Naruto moved his forearm to cover Hungry Ghost Path's eyes. He smirked up at Pein. "I'm not done yet."_

"_Hmm?"_

"_SENPOU: RASENRENGAN! (Sage Tech: Double Rasengan/Rasengan Barrage)" Pein's eyes widened as a deafening crash resounded behind him. Whirling around, he saw his Naraka Path in a crater of his own making, two fist-sized holes in his back. Blood poured freely down his back and arms as it pooled in the crater, a clone glaring daggers up at him as it smirked in victory._

"_Shit, it was all a diversion to get my Naraka Path in position for an attack?" he said in disbelief._

"_And you fell for it; hook, line, and sucker." Naruto quipped. "Two more to go." Rearing his hand back, the original made to punch a hole in Hungry Ghost's throat, while the clone leapt forward to engage Pein in hand-to-hand._

_'_Just in time...'_ Holding his hands outward at either side of him, Pein invoked his beloved technique. "Shinra Tensei! (Almighty Push)"_

_Instantly, both Naruto and his clone were repelled with great force, the clone dispersing upon impact with the ground while Naruto skidded and bounced several times, finally coming to a rest next to Fukasaku, Shima, and Revan._

_Revan knelt next to him, helping him to his knees. "Are you okay, Naruto? You've done enough; let me take it from here. I'm sure I can kill the last two without much trouble."_

_Accepting her help, Naruto struggled to his feet. "It's alright, Rev. Let me handle this. You know I couldn't bear it if something happened to you, right?"_

_Shaking her head, she smiled. "You men and your chauvinistic ways. Fine, but if you get in it up to your eyeballs, don't come crying to me."_

_He nodded. "I will ask, though: What was that jutsu he used just now?"_

_She frowned. "That is Pein's main attack, the one he used to destroy the village. It appears that the more power he puts into it, and the longer he uses it, the more time it takes until he can use it again. However, Chouji brought Tsunade information that she relayed to us through Katsuya. It appears that the bare minimum amount of time between each attack is 5 seconds."_

_Naruto cursed. "JUST 5 seconds?"_

_She nodded. "You're going to have to time your attacks for that specific window of time. If you can hit him during that time-frame, he won't be able to retaliate."_

_Nodding, Naruto looked over towards where Pein was. He was currently engaged with Gamabunta, Gamaken, and Gamahiro. All three giant toads were swinging their respective weapons, doing their best to try and make mincemeat out of the Deva Path. Pein was easily dodging their attacks, but that was to be expected. The three were leading him into a trap._

_Once Gamaken and Gamahiro managed to get on either side of him, Gamabunta had only to come at him from above, which he did. He brought his tanto down, but struck only ground. Caught off-guard, the three toads watched as he got to within eye level of them, held both of his hands out, and struck._

"_Shinra Tensei!"_

_They were instantly repelled, all three flying in different directions far outside of Konoha. Gamahiro skidded across a meadow before splashing into a lake, fully submerging and not rising. Gamaken slammed through Konoha's wall, sliding harshly against the rough rock before slamming into the side of a plateau. He didn't stir._

_Gamabunta got the worst of it, though. He was sent soaring through the air, clearing the fence completely as he went 100, 200, 500, then 1,000 yards and more. He slammed the ground hard, and skipped several times, rolling end over end before coming to rest in a clearing surrounded by trees. He cried out in pain before going silent, his crumpled body not moving in the ditch he'd dug himself._

_Naruto cried out to his toad companions, but his concerns fell on deaf ears. None of them responded, and he cursed._

_Pein landed, and held out a hand towards Naruto. "I think it's about time you came with me, Kyuubi. Bansho Tenin! (Heavenly Attraction)" Naruto started as he felt himself inexplicably drawn forward, caught completely off-guard by this new technique. In a split second, he had a fist buried in his gut, causing saliva to fly from his mouth. The Hungry Ghost Path, he now recognized, then wrapped him in a full nelson hold._

_He heard Revan yell his name. Heard Fukasaku and Shima do the same. He also felt his chakra...slipping away? No, that wasn't quite right. It was almost like...it was being drawn out of him. Snapping his eyes open, he blinked as his vision dimmed slightly, letting him know his Sage Mode was gone._

_'_FUCK! This bastard's stealing my chakra!'

_Pein stepped into his line of sight, a partial look of smugness on his face. "Capture of the Kyuubi: Complete."_

"_THE HELL IT IS!"_

_Pein sidestepped a swipe, the red saber hissing through the air as it tore through the air molecules. Throwing her other hand out, Revan called her other saber in Naruto's possession to her hand, the purple blade snapping to life as she wove a deadly dance of purple and red against her foe, forcing him to backpedal lest he be diced._

_Naruto, meanwhile, was racking his brain trying to come up with a way to counter the drain on his chakra. The Hungry Ghost Path was living up to its' reputation; it had already consumed his senjutsu chakra, and was working on his original chakra, slowly siphoning it off with each passing second._

_Naruto groaned, as his eyes began to close from the sudden onset of fatigue. '_This isn't good. I can't move, and he's draining my chakra. At this rate, I'll-' _Naruto's eyes snapped open._ 'Can't move...draining chakra...THAT'S IT!' _Closing his eyes, he let himself slump into the Path's grasp, not moving an inch as he put his plan into action. _'This'll teach him to steal other people's chakra.'

_Revan, meanwhile, was grinning as she continued to push the Deva Path back, tears and slashes adorning his semi-tattered cloak. Pein was getting frustrated with her, but knew that by biding time and keeping her away from Naruto, he would be that much closer to overall victory. Once he drained Naruto of nearly all of his chakra, save just enough to keep him alive, he'd dispose of the woman and toads. Then he'd be on his wa-_

_Eyes widening, he nearly lost his head (literally), ducking a swipe from Revan and backflipping away. Shooting a glance over towards Naruto's location, he was stunned to see his Hungry Ghost Path...morphing? Yes, it was morphing...sort of. He couldn't really describe it, but a change was taking place no doubt._

_Looking down at Naruto, he was further stunned to realize it wasn't his doing at all. He was just slumped there, not moving a muscle. So how...? Watching in stunned disbelief as his Path slowly transformed, Pein was helpless to stop the change. Human features morphed in ever-quickening intervals, becoming amphibian in nature until his entire face was toad-like. His hands had become webbed, and his skin was green and blotchy, covered in warts._

_Suddenly, a new change took hold, and he began to stiffen. In fact, he CONTINUED to stiffen, his features growing stony in appearance as his body's movements ceased altogether. Realization crashed into Pein like-well, you get the idea. His Path had been petrified, turned into a frog statue._

_A growl came from the statue's captive, and he lowered his gaze to see Naruto break free with a yell, the statue's arms snapping and crumbling under the blonde's strength. Falling to one knee, Naruto panted heavily, sucking wind as he stared defiantly at Pein. "Now...it's just...you..."_

_Pein leveled a curious look at him. "How did you do that?"_

_Naruto laughed. "Senjutsu is very particular with who it lets use it. It's also very particular with HOW it's used."_

_Pein blinked, then nodded to himself. "So, Senjutsu comes with very inherent risks, I see. It can very well be a double-edged sword to the user, should they fail in harnessing the power of Natural Energy."_

_Pein, for his part, actually chuckled, causing Naruto to quirk an eyebrow. "You are strong, indeed. This is the farthest Pein has ever been pushed. No one who has come before you, not even Jiraiya-sensei, has done as much damage to the Six Paths of Pein as you have. You've taken out not one, not three, but ALL of my Paths...save one."_

_Raising his hand, he surprised Naruto by NOT pointing it at him. Following the direction of the hand, he blanched as he saw it pointed at Fukasaku and Shima. The two Elder Sages had been gathering energy to perform their strongest Genjutsu, the Magen: Gama Rinshou Technique (Demonic Illusion: Toad Confrontation Chant). The very same one they had used when Jiraiya confronted Pein. Pein, however, was having NONE of that._

_Even as he invoked the technique, causing Fukasaku to be sent hurtling forward towards his outstretched hand, a look of passive disdain filled his face. Ignoring the various cries of protest, he brought a chakra rod back in a ready stabbing motion._

"_I absolutely LOATHE that technique."_

_Bringing the rod forward, he impaled the helpless toad, Naruto looking on in stunned disbelief as Shima began to scream Fukasaku's name, tears streaming down her face. Revan blanched, able to instantly tell through the Force that he was, in fact, dead._

"_YOU BASTARD!"_

_Sprinting forward, Naruto was caught off-guard when Pein hurled the dead toad at him, forcing him to stop and catch the lifeless body._

"_Bansho Tenin."_

_He was yanked forward, air escaping his lungs in a choked gasp as Pein wrapped his hand around his throat, before bodily slamming him into the ground. Debris showered the field as Pein grabbed both of his hands, crossed them together, and brought his chakra rod down._

_A loud yell of pain shot out from the cloud of smoke, and Revan clenched her chest, hoping that Naruto wasn't too wounded. She was able to relax slightly when it cleared, showing Naruto was merely impaled through the hands._

"_I hope this has tamed you a bit, Kyuubi. I wouldn't want you struggling too much and hurting yourself. After all, you are a precious Jinchuuriki. I can't have you dying on me...not yet, anyway."_

_Grasping her sabers, she made to move when Naruto's voice cut through the silence. "What the FUCK are you? Why are you here? What the HELL is your motivation for DOING all of this?"_

_Pein stared down at his captive, knowing full well that Naruto could feel his chakra pulsing through his coils, keeping him from doing anything...rash. "Why, you ask? Things always happen without warning. Only after the dust has settled does the reason become apparent. This situation..."_

_Pein stood, snapping part of his chakra rod off to keep Naruto fixed to the ground. "Perhaps I will explain it to you."_

_Growling, Naruto nevertheless remained silent. "You asked me why I am doing this. Should I tell you, perhaps it would enlighten you to the matter at hand. However, I highly doubt that, nor would it be likely to change anything. I once told you that my goal is something even Jiraiya-sensei was unable to complete. To bring peace, and ensure justice."_

_The sound of teeth grinding caused Pein to stop his monologue. "...Peace? Justice? Sure, that's right...you're so thoroughly convinced that what you're doing is right that you don't give a FUCK about the consequences of your actions! You don't CARE who gets hurt, you don't CARE who dies, you don't CARE about the means, so long as it reaches your desired end, and you CERTAINLY don't CARE about what others will feel when you enact those means!"_

"_DON'T GIVE ME THAT BULLSHIT!" Tears sprung up in Naruto's eyes, and threatened to fall. "MY MASTER! MY SENSEI! MY FRIENDS! MY VILLAGE! AFTER ALL YOU'VE DONE, DON'T YOU **DARE** SPEAK TO ME OF PEACE AND JUSTICE!"_

_Pein simply stood there, expression blank. "...Then tell me...what is your goal?"_

"_I'm going to KILL you, and restore peace to the world!"_

_Pein nodded slightly. "I see. That is very noble of you. It is indeed justice...however...MY friends, MY family, MY village...they all suffered the same fate as this one, by your very village no less. What sort of justice allows one to preach of goodness and peace while the other is left to wallow without it? True justice is not secular justice, it is universal justice."_

"_What are you talking about?"_

"_The Land of Fire and Konohagakure have grown too big, too fat. To conserve it's 'interests', it forced clans to wage war on one another, and _profited_ from it. I'll be the first to admit it wasn't for entirely selfish reasons, and I can respect that. They did what they needed to do; without confrontation, the people of the Hidden Villages, and even the entire nation, would have starved."_

"_But their true sin lies in this one fact: they used OTHER NATIONS as the battlefields for their war. They used MY nation for their war. Each time they fought, WE took the majority of casualties inflicted. WE took the highest amount of suffering. WE took the highest death toll, and WE were the ones relegated to squander and sorrow, bereft of even the most basic necessities like food, warmth, and shelter. After the fighting was done, the Great Nations were able to stabilize themselves, while our little nation was left to rot, to pick up the pieces once more."_

_Naruto's anger had ebbed with each word, until he was staring solemnly at the ground, listening intently to Pein's every word. Revan was doing the same, but kept her hands near her sabers in case Pein tried to pull a fast one._

"_You and I seek the same thing, yet we go about it differently. We seek the peace that our master, Jiraiya-sensei, desired. You and I...are not so different. We each act according to our own sense of justice, our own sense of right and wrong. The justice I've enacted upon Konoha...is no different from the justice you've been trying to enact on me this entire time. So, too, is the pain of losing something or someone we love." Pein pointedly looked Naruto dead in the eyes. "And both you and I know what that's like all too well."_

"_You have your justice, and I have mine. We're both just ordinary men, seeking vengeance under the falsity that is justice. It stands to reason that if there is vengeance in justice, then justice will breed only more vengeance. This will trigger a cycle of hatred. And yet, we're already living in just such a phenomenon. We're familiar with what the past is, and we have an inkling of what the future may be. That is history, as we know it to be."_

"_So we cannot help but believe that _humans are incapable of understanding one another._ This world of ninja is _ruled_ by hatred. Something unavoidable, as hatred is...brings a greater understanding to one's self, but no understanding to another's self. This cycle will continue unabated so long as hatred rules supreme."_

_Unbidden, a memory came to Naruto's mind, one several years old._

'Even I can see that there's too much hatred in our world. I've wanted to do something about this hatred, but I just don't know what to do. But I have faith. Faith that, one day, there will come a time where people can truly understand one another. And if I can't find the answer, maybe I'll entrust my search to you, so that you can find it.'

_Even now, Naruto could still picture Jiraiya's smiling visage in his mind. _'Ero-sennin...'

_Pein's words snapped Naruto out of his reverie. "So, Nine-Tails, how would YOU deal with this hatred? How would you confront it, in order to create and ensure peace?"_

_When no response was forthcoming, Pein continued. "I want to hear your answer."_

_Silence permeated the air...then, "I...I don't have an answer...to something like that."_

_Pein was silent for a moment. "...I created Akatsuki as an answer to that question. I can put an end to it, this never-ending cycle. But for it to succeed, I need the power of your Bijuu, Jinchuuriki. The power of the Nine-Tails, plus the power of the other Tailed Beasts, will allow me to create a weapon the likes of which the Shinobi World has never seen. A Tailed Beast Weapon."_

_Naruto's eyes widened at this revelation, even as Pein continued. "A power strong enough to make what I did here look like child's play. Power enough to wipe out an entire nation in a single instant."_

"_You...you're mad."_

_Pein ignored him. "The world will experience pain. Real pain. True pain. The fear instilled by this pain will ultimately be the catalyst that will cause wars to cease. The world will be ushered into a new era of stability and peace."_

_Naruto shook his head. "That kind of peace...it's fake! It's nothing but a forced peace!"_

_Pein chuckled, once again catching Naruto off-guard. "Humans aren't the most...intelligent creatures, contrary to what we firmly believe. Our ignorance is nothing but a curse. This is the only way we can attain peace. It must be forced upon them, so that they will know the benefit of a world without wars."_

"_Yet, this peace will not last forever, and eventually, after some time has passed, that pain will fade into memory. It will go from being a deterrent to nothing more than a page in the history books. Eventually, mankind, in its' infinite stupidity and arrogance, will begin to fight again, and THIS TIME, _they_ will use the weapon. On one another. Bringing about true pain once again. Reconfirming its' existence, and asserting what true peace should be like."_

"_In the end, this cycle of hatred cannot truly be broken. Only through true pain can we enjoy a momentary peace, before the cycle starts again. This...is my dream."_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 8 is up and running. This is going to be a rather extensive flashback, as Naruto vs. Pein is one of my favorite fights in Naruto, and deserves every ounce of respect it garners. Hope you enjoy it.<strong>_

_**-Sgt. Assassin**_


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Limits Reached**

_Naruto continued to stare at his hands, watching the blood trickle down them as Pein continued his speech. "You claim my vision of peace is fake. That is entirely possible. It could very well be fake. And yet I would argue that, in this cursed world, there is nothing more fictional than a peace where people could TRULY understand one another. It's merely a lie brought on by wishful thinking."_

_Naruto growled, his eyes moving upwards to stare at his captor. "Ero-sennin believed that just such a day would come. Are you to tell me his beliefs, your master's beliefs, were nothing more than wishful thinking?"_

_Pein ignored his question. "They are merely empty words. What could he do when he couldn't even back up his answer? What can YOU do, for that matter? In the end..." A chakra rod slipped into his hand. "All you are good for is handing over the power of the Kyuubi to me. You're only a means to an end, nothing more. As I had said earlier, your death will be a stepping stone that will allow me to usher in true peace."_

_Bringing the chakra rod back, Pein readied to deliver a non-lethal blow that would render him unconscious. "I suppose we've wasted enough time talking about trivial matters. Sleep now, Kyuubi. You will wake up when we begin the extaction of-"_

_Leaping backwards, Pein just barely dodged a red saber that was hurled through the air, his chakra rod sliced in twain. Looking over, he spied Revan charging forward, calling her thrown weapon back to her hand as she barreled down on him._

"_You're not getting him that easily, asshole!"_

"_Noisy wench. You're interfering with my plans once again." Pein ground out, truly irritated with the way Revan kept interfering over and over again. Raising his hand, he invoked his jutsu, but was surprised when Revan through her own hand out, both forces colliding and cratering the ground._

_'_She has a gravity attack as well? Wait, no...it's not that...it's something else. She's not using any chakra, but she IS using energy of some sort...Zetsu never informed me of this detail. I'll have to reprimand him when I return.'

"_So, you've still got a few tricks up your sleeve, and have managed to wait until now to use them. I'll give credit where credit is due. I'm truly impressed. However, you've no hope of winning. Gods strike down mortals all the time; why should you be any different?"_

"_Because I have something to fight for, and I'm NOT about to let you take it away!" She roared, pulling a shuriken out and flinging it at him. Forming several seals, she utilized one of the few jutsu she both knew and could pull off. "Kage Shuriken no Jutsu!" Instantly, the one shuriken became one hundred, and they cast a shadow as they soared towards the Deva Path._

"_How futile. Shinra Tensei!" All of the shuriken, one after the other, ran into an invisible wall, clanking noisly as they struck one another and fell to the ground._

"_Not quite."_

"_Wha-"_

_Pein barely dodged another swipe, the sleeve of his cloak shearing off with a hissing noise as the lightsaber burned through the cloth with ease. He ducked another swipe and backflipped. He avoided several thrown kunai, and threw his hand out again, his technique tearing up the landscape. Revan retaliated, throwing up a Force Wall of her own._

_The two techniques collided, and both combatants were blown back slightly, the force causing the ground to cave in once again. Pein shot forward, chakra rod in hand as he stabbed Revan-_

_A spinning heelkick to his face shot him across the crater, his body skipping a few times before he flipped and landed on his feet. Looking at his rod, he saw no blood, but DID see an afterimage disappating._

_'_Clever.' _he thought. As Revan charged again, he continued to dodge her swipes, occasionally losing more pieces of his cloak from near-misses. She was starting to get the feel of his reaction times, and that was not good. She had to be stopped, but how? She could repel his Shinra Tensei with an equal but opposite force, rendering the attack null and void, something that had never happened before._

_Chakra rods were also useless, as those swords of hers could shear through them with ease, something his late Animal Path could attest to. Should he lose a limb to one of those weapons, he was as good as finished. Worse yet, she showed no sign of slowing down, as if she'd regained her energy during the time he and Naruto had fought. EVEN WORSE, she could hurl the blasted things, which made range attacks just as dangerous as mid and close ranged assaults. She had herself well covered, and it was making Pein's brain hurt trying to think of a way to get around her defenses._

_A thought came to him, and he figured that, since he didn't have any other ideas, it was worth a shot. Leaping away, he landed several yards from her, and held his hand out. Revan beat him to the punch, and threw a Force Push, the rippling air his only indication of attack as he rolled out of the way. Throwing his hand up again, he cried, "Bansho Tenin!"_

_Revan was caught off-guard, flying forward as Pein met her in the middle, his fist digging its' way into her stomach. The combined force was enough to shatter ribs, but she cushioned the blow with the Force, having layered her stomach with it prior to his attack. Still, the crack of ribs was made prevalent, and she knew that while she'd avoided some of the damage, she hadn't avoided all of it._

_Grabbing her wrist, he squeezed it hard enough to force her to drop one of her sabers, the cylinder clanking as it struck the ground and deactivated. Kicking it to the side, he grabbed her other wrist as it brought her saber in for a decapitative strike, halting the red blade mere inches from his neck._

_He kicked her in the stomach once again, causing her to double over in agony, before his foot connected with her face and sent her spiraling into a pile of rubble, her other lightsaber hurled from her grasp._

"_REVAN!"_

_Pein looked over to a panic-stricken Naruto, his eyes wide with fear as he watched his captor beat his girlfriend senseless. Pein looked back over in time to dodge a Force Push, the ground where he had been standing tearing itself apart. He was caught off-guard, though, when HE was yanked forward by an invisible force, a fist burying itself in HIS gut, causing him to vomit saliva and blood. He was then axe-kicked into the ground, rock and dust flying as he buried his face in the floor._

_Panting heavily, Revan went and retrieved her sabers, walking over and igniting one, shearing 2/3rds of the chakra rod from the remaining piece keeping Naruto pinned to the ground. "Sorry...I took so long. Ran into a problem or two along the way."_

_Naruto smiled, before yanking his hands off of the remaining rod, cursing as he did so. "It's fine, Rev. I'm just glad you're ok-"_

SQUELCH

_Silence permeated the area, as Revan looked down to see a chakra rod sticking out from her stomach. Blood pooled in her mouth, and she coughed, blood flying from her lips as, looking back up, she was greeted with Naruto's horrified expression._

"_Na...ruto...I..."_

"_You're in the way. Move."_

_She was unceremoniously hurled aside, skidding across the gravel before she impacted the ground. She didn't get up. She didn't move._

_Silence. Piercing, penetrating, all-consuming. Time seemed to stop...then he spoke. "It was just like this. My parents were killed before my very eyes by the very same Konoha shinobi you so desperately tried to protect. Out of love, the desire to protect is born. Sacrifice is born the exact same way. Hatred follows, when those that have something to protect FAIL to protect it. Through this loss, we are able to know pain. Through this hatred, pain becomes a reality."_

_Striding over, he stood above Revan's unmoving body, his chakra rod poised above her._

"_Know pain."_

SPLURT

. . . .

. . . .

. . . .

_The world exploded._

_Shima was hurled backwards, as blood-red chakra shot skyward. Thick, moving, twisting, living. It enshrouded and curled around Naruto, even as Pein watched._

"_Do you hate me?"_

_A roar was his response, Naruto's clothing shredding as his skin peeled away, blood quickly filling the chakra shroud surrounding him as he stood, his body morphing grotesquely as he continued to roar in anger. Flinging his clawed appendage outwards, a huge gust of wind quickly turned into a wind devil, then a small tornado, heading straight for Pein._

_Crouching, he activated his technique, creating a barrier of repulsive energy around him to protect himself from the violent winds. They buffered against it, but could not penetrate the absolute defense and sheared away against it, disappating._

_Pein barely had time to recover when massive chunks of the ground began shooting skyward, chakra arms ripping them from their foundations as he looked on._

_The Four-Tailed Kyuubi began hurling large chunks of rock at him. Pein responded with a battle cry, shearing through several incoming projectiles before blocking them when they became too numerous. The rocks split and shattered upon impact, flying harmlessly off to either side of him._

_As the dust settled, Pein lowered his arms, and he was quickly rewarded with a house-sized boulder to the face, his whole body impacting the massive stone as he was sent flying. Suddenly, the rock exploded, showering debris as Pein emerged from the wreckage, only to be struck dead on by a red, chakra-enhanced fist._

_His whole face went numb, and the flesh rippled from the hit as he was struck. Hit with such force, he spiraled through the air, his shinobi training saving him from further damage as he turned the roll into a backflip, springing high into the air to land on one of the raised chunks of ground._

_He was given no time to recover, as he leapt from the structure, a chakra tendril slicing it in half. Landing on the ground, he began to run as he saw two chakra hands grasp half of the broken rock. He didn't get far, as the hands slammed the rock onto his head, bashing him over and over and over, each time burying him further into the ground._

_Once the dust settled, Pein's eyes were rolled back into his head. The Kyuubi roared in rage as they suddenly rolled back into position, seemingly coming back to life from what would normally be certain death. Even to the logic-stripped mind of the Kyuubi-fied Naruto, this shouldn't have been possible, which made him all the angrier._

_Pein's taunts did nothing to help ease his rage. "Do you hate me? Do you loathe me? Do you wish to kill me? I invite you to try, Nine-Tails."_

_The Deva Path dug itself out of the ground, bones popping as they were put back into place, muscle and tendons realigning themselves._

_Suddenly, clouds began to form overhead, and a large ball of reddish-black chakra slammed into the Kyuubi, quickly absorbing into its' body. Bones began to sprout from its' body, a skeleton forming on top of the flesh, the skull surrounding the head as two more tails sprouted from its' behind._

_Pein seemed to speak to himself, now, unaware or uncaring that Naruto couldn't or wouldn't respond. "Do you still think that people can understand one another? Are you still determined to bring your version of peace to the world? Do you deem your actions justified? All of this may be. All of it may come to pass, who are we to know? But know this...my pain...IS FAR, FAR GREATER THAN YOURS!"_

_Saying this, Pein reared back and punched straight into the ground, water erupting from the hole created by his fist. All around them, spouts had begun erupting from the ground, quickly filling the new crater that had been caused by their battle._

_Face set in a determined expression, Pein muttered a quick, "Let's go!" and shot forward, intent on ending this as quickly as possible. Using his affinity for gravity manipulation, he reduced the air resistance before him, allowing his speed to greatly increase. It would be needed, as 6 chakra hands shot out of the water, each grasping for him, yet failing to grab him._

_He ducked and dodged, forced off his original course, and began circling around one of the newer formations. He leapt over a chakra hand trying to trip him up, and barely avoided another that shot past him, his cloak singing as it touched the corrosive chakra of the Kyuubi._

_Using the arm as a springboard, he shot over to a nearby island; as he did so, he was clipped by a chakra __hand, and sent spiraling towards it, ending his roll and activating his technique. No sooner had he done so then several balls of searing hot chakra shot towards him out of the mist, each skipping off of his barrier and impacting the ground and water, eradicating the rock and vaporizing the water._

_The shots continued to come, and Pein was forced to keep his barrier up, knowing the longer he did so, the more time it would take for him to recharge. Each shot against his barrier was making his arms that much number._

_After 15 seconds, the last shot impacted his barrier, and Pein was able to lower his barrier, starting his recharge. "Is that all you've got, Kyuubi? I was expecting better from-" A single shot flew towards him, and Pein couldn't bring his barrier up to deflect this one, as only 10 seconds had passed. It impacted the island he was on, turning it into molten slag and sending Pein careening into the water, his body skipping like a stone across its' surface._

_Sliding to a stop, he shook the embers from his cloak. "Not bad, Kyuubi. Figured out the timing, I see."_

_The Kyuubi took a step forward, but was suddenly engulfed in a bright green light, tendrils snaking out and wrapping around its' tails, arms, legs, torso, and neck. It roared in anger, and struggled valiantly._

_Pein blinked, taken aback by this sudden turn of events. "...A...is that a fuinjutsu? To further restrict the Kyuubi?"_

_He watched as the creature plunged its' hand into its' chest, tearing out a bright green crystal. It pulsed with power, clearly the source of the seal. Growling, the Kyuubi exerted a tremendous amount of pressure, and finally overpowered the seal, crushing the crystal in his fist._

_Immediately, like a switch had been flipped, the tendrils vanished, dissipating as the seal was broken._

"_He broke it."_

_Pein watched as the creature then turned towards him, growling softly. "Here he comes!"_

_Tensing, the Kyuubi vanished, a shockwave throwing up waves._

_Blinking, Pein looked around wildly. "Wha-where did he go? He disappeared?" Sensing movement to his right, he turned and saw a rapidly speeding red blur, dragging a huge wave behind it. "H-he's fast!"_

_He deflected several chakra arms that shot towards him, ignoring the burning sensation of touching the corrosive chakra. One arm slammed into the rock he was standing on, shattering it and plunging him into the shallow water._

"_Shinra Tensei!"_

_The water parted like Moses with the Red Sea, Pein in the center of the circle with his hands clapped together, strain on his face as he kept the barrier up-_

_A red hand slammed into his face, grasping it harshly as it seared his skin. All around him, red stakes of chakra shot up out of the ground, and the Kyuubi emerged from the water, struggling valiantly against the strong repulsive force._

_It grabbed him with its' other arm, and he knocked them both away before kicking the creature in the face, causing it to squeal in displeasure. It started to fall back under the pressure of the attack, but then somehow stopped its' retreat, and began to bear down on Pein again._

_Pein was shocked, as he felt the effects of his own Shinra Tensei being turned on him. "I-impossible! He...he w-withstood my Shinra Tensei?" The Kyuubi lunged forward, and the force became too great. Pein was catapulted away from the beast, shooting through the water at a tremendous speed, before he rose to the surface and continued to fly, skipping and bouncing across the water like a smooth stone strapped to a firework._

_End over end over end over end, skipping, bouncing, sliding, dipping, cartwheeling. He had no control over his body at this point, and as water gave way to land, he continued to spin, impacting and smashing through several boulders before he impacted a wall, shearing straight through it as he continued his wild ride. Up ahead: the canyon wall. Pein barely had time to brace himself before he impacted it head-first._

_Every muscle, every tendon, every bone, every FIBER of his being screamed in agony, as his 100-mph flight of fancy went to 0 in the space of a second. Surprisingly still conscious, Pein could feel every bone in his back break, his spine snapping like a twig as his skull caved in and his neck broke into several pieces, his spine snapping and breaking along each vertebre._

_His collarbone practically disintegrated, broken and fractured into so many pieces. His shoulders had blown __out, his arms hanging limply by his side as his body finally sagged, crumpled as it was._

_Unfortunately, his punishment was not over yet, as the savage impact had jostled loose every stone that wasn't connected directly to the wall, and they all came crashing down on him, burying him in an avalanche of stone and debris._

_Like a shark who'd struck its' first blow and was waiting to strike the second, the Kyuubi's ears poked out of the water, followed by the top half of its' head, cruising slowly through the water as it watched the cloud of dust and debris, keeping a sharp eye out for any sign of its' foe. Truthfully, it believed him to be dead, as the Kyuubi had yet to meet anyone (save Orochimaru), who'd been able to take a hit like that and come up standing...or come back up at all, for that matter._

_Still, seeing as his foe had proven his resilience multiple times, that in of itself was a feat worthy of recognition. The Kyuubi would honor this man's stubborn will to resist, and grant him a death worthy of the archives of ninja history._

_Propping himself out of the water, the Kyuubi let both his and his host's chakra escape from his body, the tiny orbs of clear blue and blackish red chakra floating lazily into the air, before coalescing together into an ever-growing orb of black chakra, the Kyuubi growling as it focused on the ball's formation._

_Suddenly, two hands shot out of the ground, slapping together as a cry was heard, and Pein emerged from his premature grave. "Bansho Tenin!"_

_A massive piece of the wall broke away from itself, soaring high into the sky before reaching its' peak and dropping, literally, like a stone. The Kyuubi was unable to move, as it had to stay still to keep the ball's cohesion from destabilizing, and as such, was crushed by the massive rock. Seconds later, the rock burst into flame before exploding, the Tailed Beast Bomb going off prematurely and shattering the rock into pebbles._

_Then the explosion, free of the rock's confines, expanded rapidly, filling the sky as it erupted into a massive ball of flame. The shockwave was so intense that it pushed the now-freed Pein backwards into the hole he'd dug himself out of, parts of the canyon wall shattering and spraying across the land as the eruption of flame and force tore part of the wall away and obliterated it as easily as a child would crush a cracker in its' hand._

* * *

><p><em>As far away as Konoha, the shockwave could be felt, and the massive plume of flame and smoke could be seen for miles around. Sakura, who had gone to assist Naruto, Revan, and the Elder Toads, unheeding of the warnings thrown her way, was nearly blown off her feet by the shockwave.<em>

"_W-what was that? Don't tell me...that chakra I felt..."_

_Hastening her arrival, she found a grim scene: One of the Elder Toads, Fukasaku, was clearly dead, blood pooling around his torso, the hole dripping with gore._

_Realizing she could do nothing for the Elder Sage, she turned to Shima, who was shaken, but otherwise unhurt. "Are you okay, ma'am?"_

_Shima nodded, then turned her gaze to Revan. "But that girl..."_

_Sakura turned and gasped. "Revan-chan!" She rushed over to the older woman's side, gasping again as she saw the hole in her stomach, not unsimilar to Fukasaku's mortal wound. "Hang on, I'll close this in a heartbeat."_

_She immediately began to apply her chakra to the gaping wound, the flesh slowly knitting together as she strained to stop the bleeding at the same time. What worried her the most was that Revan didn't respond. Looking at the pool of blood she was kneeling in, she figured she'd lost at least a fifth of her volume, which didn't make things any better._

_Shima's voice snapped her attention forward. "Naruto-chan...he lost it when Revan-chan got stabbed...he transformed..."_

_Sakura blanched. "Into the Four-Tailed Kyuubi, right?"_

_She was taken aback when Shima shook her head. "No...there were SIX tails...and this horrible skeleton surrounding him...the pure EVIL that radiated from his being...I've never felt such power."_

_Sakura's blood drained from her face even as it ran cold with fear. '_SIX tails? He went four facing Orochimaru, and the sannin barely escaped with his life. Not to mention the utter devastation that riddled the surrounding landscape. If Naruto uses a Tailed Beast Bomb here...'_ she shook her head, erasing those thoughts from her mind and concentrating on aiding Revan. '_Naruto...just be alright...'

* * *

><p><em>Once again ripping himself from another pit, Pein shook his head, clearing the slight disorientation out of it as he stared at the chakra tails shearing rock away from where the Kyuubi was buried. "The power of the Kyuubi...such wondrous power, and yet..." Turning, he began to run as the tails ripped and shredded the stone, the Kyuubi emerging from the debris growling as it took off after him.<em>

_Using his gravity manipulation once again, Pein accelerated to tremendous speeds, skirting around the edges of cliffs and valleys with precise ease. Sparing a glance behind him, he was not surprised to see the Kyuubi matching his pace, the tremendous speed with which he had shot from the water-filled crater causing it to follow him, drawn by wind of his passing._

_Leaping from a rather high cliff, Pein soared downwards, plunging a thousand feet downward before deftly springing atop several stones in a river, speeding onward as the Kyuubi followed, crashing down mere seconds after he'd shot forward, water cascading down the cliff and overflowing the river._

_Ducking and weaving several water tendrils that shot out of the river at him, Pein darted suddenly to the right, soaring through the treetops with the ease of a bird in flight before landing on a fallen log, having temporarily eluded his persuer._

_Slapping his hands together, Pein began to concentrate heavily. '_Tendo is close enough now. I can utilize THAT technique.' _Striding quietly over to a hollowed-out tree, he looked around before slipping inside. In the gloomy interior, he began to sweat as he focused intently on his ultimate technique, a tiny black ball of chakra ringed with white forming in between his clasped hands. Putting as much power as he dared into the technique, he then let it free like a bird into the sky, the tiny ball floating upwards out of the hollow._

_Two balls of flaming chakra streaked out of the foliage, impacting and turning the hollowed tree into shrapnel. Even so, Pein had managed to leap out of it in time, and somersaulting backwards, landed upright, hands still clasped together._

"_Chibaku Tensei! (Planetary Devastation)"_

_As the tiny ball soared into the air, it began to grow in size, until at just the right angle, it began to eclipse the sun, a harsh golden light covering the landscape as the ball shone briliantly._

_Suddenly, chunks of the ground began tearing themselves up, rock and pebble and stone floating upwards as the gravity attack began to affect the landscape, trees shuddering as the pull began to increase._

_Pein held his hands apart, almost imparting the ground to free itself and fly upwards, the rock complying as whole sections of ground began to tear apart, slowly hovering upwards as they began to coalesce around the black orb, packing themselves together in an ever-growing ball of rock._

_Trees, boulders, shrubs, grass, and even animals began to float upwards, the attack's gravitational pull increasing exponentially with each second that passed, getting stronger and stronger as it amassed more and more matter._

_The Kyuubi shot out of the shuddering forest, speeding across the breaking ground as it attempted to attack the caster. Pein thrust a hand out with a cry, and his Shinra Tensei struck home, wrapping the Kyuubi in several chunks of debris as it rolled backwards. Suddenly, a white-hot beam of red chakra shot from the boulder, carving up the landscape as it headed towards Pein._

_A chakra rod shot out of his remaining sleeve and into his hand, using the metal as a deflector and shooting the laser beam back at the Kyuubi, the rock surrounding it exploding as it screamed a shrill cry. Suddenly, the foundation it was crouched on shuddered and broke away from the earth, carrying the Kyuubi with it as the beast remained perched on top of the stone._

_Larger and larger chunks of earth were slamming into one another now, the ball growing from the size of a car to the size of a trailer home. Pein cried out loudly, slamming his hands together as he poured more power into the attack._

_As such, entire MOUNTAINS began to tremble, shuddering before breaking apart and adding their mass to the collective, the ball quickly growing in size. Now a house. Now a building, now a square city block. More and more and more earth began collecting together, as mountains shattered, ground crumbled, and trees snapped like toothpicks._

_The Kyuubi was growing tired of playing these games, and shot another beam at the ground, destroying a small mountain as it was turned into molten slag. This did little to slow down the growing ball of earth. Trying to strike the castor yet again, the Kyuubi fired another laser at Pein, who simply used the earth around him as a shield, the rock vaporizing but leaving him untouched._

_Almost like a warped game of Tetris, rocks the size of houses began to slam into slots around the half-moon-sized ball of stone. Each rock sliding almost easily into its' appropriate slot. The Kyuubi was halfway ascended when it turned its' attention to the affronting mass, firing another laser at it. A large chunk of the right side exploded in a ball of flame, but quickly repaired itself with more rock coming from the surface._

_The Kyuubi tried again, and again, and again. Each time the stone would repair itself, making the Kyuubi's efforts for naught. Suddenly, the rock it was holding on to shattered, as Pein poured EVEN MORE power into the attack, sweat pouring down his face profusely as he pumped nearly everything he had into the attack._

_Shrieking, the Kyuubi struggled to grasp onto something, ANYTHING, to stop its' ascent. Finding nothing of purchase, it slammed into the giant ball, compressed heavily against the gravity orb. Struggling, the Kyuubi's resistance was met with a large chunk of rock slamming on top of it. Then again, and again, and again. Like bullets from a gun, the remaining rock that was rising to the orb began to pound into the spot where the Kyuubi had been plastered against._

_When the final rock slammed into place, the giant ball was the size of an entire mountain range, spanning several hundred miles wide and several hundred long._

_Panting, Pein finally let his arms drop to his side, a satisfied smile on his face. "It...is done...I've finally...captured...the Kyuubi."_

_Inhaling deeply, he exhaled and strode forward to inspect his work. He couldn't help but frown slightly. "Pitiful. I can only do this much? The Rikudo Sennin was said to have created the MOON with this technique. My version doesn't even come close in comparison."_

_Sighing, he was nevertheless pleased. He'd finally captured the Kyuubi, and was one Bijuu away from completing his dream...Yahiko's dream._

* * *

><p><em>Inside Naruto, his mindscape was in turmoil, the chamber where the Kyuubi was kept a sinister red, as the sewer water bubbled and hissed. Naruto was on his back, floating on top of the unusually-high water.<em>

"_Why...why did it come to this? Why?" He remembered Pein's question, and felt even more despair seep into him. "How should I know the answer to a question like that? How does anyone expect me to know that. It hurts...it hurts so bad...I hate this..."_

_Seeing Revan's surprised visage, blood pouring from her stomach and mouth as Pein hurled her aside, her lifeless body crashing into the ground, brought him to his knees, clutching his head in agony. "What am I supposed to do? What do I know? I don't know ANYTHING anymore!"_

_Wrapping his arms around himself, he began to rock slowly, his mind falling apart. "Someone, help me...anyone, please...someone...tell me what to do...PLEASE, GIVE ME THE ANSWER!"_

_A booming voice echoed through his mindscape. **"Destroy." **Startled, he looked up, into the blood-red eye of the Kyuubi. **"Destroy everything. Erase everything that hurts, everything that has hurt you. Destroy the ones who have wronged you, the ones who have taken from you. The ones who have caused you grief, pain, and suffering."**_

_The Kyuubi continued, as Naruto stared raptly at him. "**Give me your soul, Naruto. I will save you from your suffering, and protect you. I will keep any and all harm from you, and make sure you NEVER hurt again."**_

_Naruto cried out as his coat tore open, his mesh undershirt tearing as his seal became prominent on his exposed torso, the markings melding into a gaping, black circle. An ink-like substance began to pour from it, filling the water around him as his eyes took on a blank look, going from sky-blue to blood-red in a flash._

"_**Yes...yes, you're doing just fine. Keep going, boy."** The Kyuubi praised as Naruto stood up, the black ink staining his pants as he began to shuffle forward, heading towards the Kyuubi's cage. "**That's it, keep coming. Come over here and tear this accursed seal off this accursed cage. Free me, so that I may protect you forever."**_

* * *

><p><em>Yamato sped through the forest, his hand screaming in pure agony as the symbol burned against his flesh. He'd been on a scouting mission with Anko and Sai, helping to locate the elusive Yakushi Kabuto. Sai had just succeeded in finding their quarry when his pain shot up his arm, his hand feeling like it was set ablaze as he turned it over and gasped in horror. Upon his palm read the kanji for 6, indicating the amount of tails Naruto had sprouted.<em>

_He'd bid a hasty retreat, not giving an explanation other than, "It's an emergency." Anko had wanted to protest, but seeing the utter panic in Yamato's eyes, had let the man rush off. She'd never seen him run that fast, or that hard, for anything in his life._

_On the way there, his hand had only increased in pain, and when he looked at it, he was horrified to see the kanji for 8 stamped on it. He'd doubled, no, TRIPLED his pace, the trees and shrubs and grass going by in a blur as he pumped as much chakra as he could into his legs._

_Suddenly, he was forced to stop, as a crippling pain shot up his arm, causing him to nearly collide with a tree before landing. Dreading what he was going to find, he brought his arm up and nearly cried as the kanji for 9 stared him dead in the face._

"_No...NO! I CAN'T be too late! Why? How? How...could this have happened? Naruto..."_

_Suddenly, the burning ceased, the kanji rapidly dropping from 9 to 8, then 7, then 6, continuing until it reached 1, and then vanished altogether. Yamato was stunned. Had...had Naruto died? Had he tamed the Kyuubi?_

_Yamato didn't know, but he sped off regardless, double-timing it to the village in the hopes of getting a much-needed answer._

* * *

><p><em>Pein watched as the giant ball of rock glowed red through its' cracks, and he knew, just KNEW, that he'd spoken too soon regarding the Kyuubi's capture.<em>

_As if agreeing with him, one side of the massive structure exploded outwards, the body of the Kyuubi shooting through the hole as EIGHT tails sprouted behind it. Still trapped in the massive rock, the Kyuubi roared its' displeasure, and shot flame from its' mouth, igniting the falling debris and showering the land with what could only be described as small meteors._

_The Kyuubi had undergone another transformation, this time growing in size considerably, and resembling the beast that it had once been, muscle and tendon now adorning its' body, even as its' tails flailed wildly from their respective holes in the rock. Teeth glistened in the sunlight, as the Kyuubi, missing only its' skin and fur, was near completion, roaring loudly as it spat flame in anger._

_Pein stared at the monstrosity, as a foreign emotion crept into his being. He hadn't felt fear in ages, and yet he was feeling it now._

"_I...I knew the Kyuubi was strong, very strong, but I never imagined it would be THIS powerful."_

* * *

><p><em>Somewhere deep inside Naruto's mindscape, a pair of blue eyes opened, gazing around for the first time in 16 years. Sensing trouble, he knew that he had been awoken as a contingency. He'd hoped that this day would never come, but people don't always get what they hope for. He could attest to that.<em>

* * *

><p><em>Reaching the cage, Naruto didn't move as the water beneath him began to spiral upwards, platforming him up to the middle of the cage, coming face to face with the seal.<em>

"_**Yes, Naruto-kun...almost there. Just pull the seal off, and all your pain will disappear. You will never have to worry about being hurt ever again. I will...take care of you."**_

_Reaching forward, Naruto grasped the seal, and began to pull-_

_A hand shot out and grasped his wrist, before a person grabbed him around the waist and pulled him away from the cage, away from the seal. Landing on his butt, Naruto's eyes reverted to their normal blue, and he stared at the person who'd saved him. Accepting the hand the stranger offered, he got to his feet and tried to peer through the gloom, to see the person who'd brought him back._

"_**You..."**_

_Naruto stood in shock as he stared at the same face he'd seen countless times before...on the Hokage Monument._

"_...Yondaime...Hokage..."_

"_Hello...Naruto."_

* * *

><p><strong>AND THE CLIFFHANGER STRIKES AGAIN! DAMN I'm evil!<strong>

**Okay, folks. Please bear with me, I'm almost done. I know a lot of you have questions, and I ASSURE YOU, that all of them will be answered. Heck, I'll even answer one right now: Yes, this IS a flashback. I'm going about this one in a...different manner, but given enough time, it'll make sense in the end.**

**For those of you who don't like this particular section of Naruto, think it's boring or stupid, I feel sorry for you. Not only is this the TURNING POINT in Naruto's fight against the Kyuubi's influence, but it's one of the most crucial moments in all of Naruto history.**

**To have me TYPE IT OUT IN DETAIL is something I would think you'd be grateful for, but I guess that's what you get when you try and appease the masses. There's always going to be a few sticklers in the bunch, and as the saying goes, you can't appeal to everyone.**

**Nevertheless, we're almost done with this flashback, so like I said before, hang in there.**

**-Sgt. Assassin**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: The Fourth Hokage**

"_Hello...Naruto."_

_Hearing his name, Naruto snapped out of his reverie, mouth opening to poise a question._

"_If you're going to ask how I'm here, it's rather simple: I worked it into the seal so that, if you ever sprouted your eighth tail, I would appear in your consciousness and stop you." Looking over his shoulder at the Kyuubi, he continued. "I wanted to avoid it, since I _NEVER_ wanted to see you again, Nine-Tails."_

_The creature growled, but Minato wasn't finished. "However, since I get to see my son all grown up..." Turning back, he flashed Naruto a bright grin. "I guess that makes up for it, huh?"_

_Naruto was still too stunned to form a coherent sentence. "...Son? Wait, how does the Fourth Hokage know my name? I never told you it."_

_A growled warning interrupted them. "**Yondaime...don't you DARE do what I think you're about to. Know that I will tear you to pieces should you open your fat mouth once more!**"_

_Minato, for his part, completely ignored him. "Why wouldn't I know your name? I'm the one who gave it to you. It would be rather weird if I didn't know your name...my son."_

_A snarled roar echoed through the tunnels of the sewer system, but it fell on deaf ears. Shell-shocked, Naruto stood stock-still, not believing what his ears had heard. "Son? Then...I'm..." Tears quickly formed at the corners of his eyes, and feel freely as Naruto began to laugh softly in disbelief._

_A crashing noise finally got Minato's attention, as the Kyuubi had slammed itself against the bars of its' prison. "**YONDAIME! COME OVER HERE, SO I CAN TEAR YOUR HEAD OFF! YOU SPRY LITTLE SHIT!**"_

_Minato shook his head, turning back to Naruto. "He's such a noisy fellow, isn't he? How about we go someplace a little more quiet, hm?"_

_Snapping his fingers, the area around them immediately changed, albeit Naruto didn't seem to notice, his forearm over his eyes as he tried in vain to wipe away the onslaught of tears._

"_The Sandaime didn't tell you much about your lineage, did he?" At Naruto's lack of response, he continued. "I'm thinking the reason behind that was because he knew that if word got out that you were my son, every single enemy I'd made in life would be chomping at the bit for your death, to get revenge on me from beyond the grave."_

_Naruto still didn't respond, so while curious, Minato continued. "He also wanted to keep information about the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki a closely guarded secret, so he probably forbade anyone speak of it in public, should they already have prevalent knowledge on the subject."_

"_Tou-chan..."_

"_Hm?"_

**WHAM**

_The air left Minato's lungs in a flash, saliva flying from his mouth as he nearly doubled over from the haymaker to his stomach. As it was, his knees threatened to give out on him as Naruto exploded._

"_WHY THE FUCK DID YOU SEAL THE GOD-DAMNED KYUUBI IN YOUR OWN FUCKING SON?" he roared, tears now flowing unobstructed once again. "DO YOU **KNOW** HOW HARD MY LIFE HAS BEEN? **EVERYONE** LOOKED AT ME WITH CONTEMPT, WITH HATRED AND SCORN AND BARELY RESTRAINED **RAGE**! YOU MADE MY EXISTENCE A FEARFUL, PITIFUL, SAD, AND LONELY EXCUSE FOR A LIFE!"_

_Minato NOW dropped to his knees, head down as he heard the hurt and anguish in his son's voice, untold sorrow clawing at his throat as he fought to hold back the tears. He knew he'd been condemning his son the moment he sealed the Kyuubi inside him, and he had been privy to everything Naruto had gone through in his short life, but to hear it from the man himself, his very son's ragged voice that spoke of pain even HE'D never experienced..._

_It broke his heart._

"_I wasn't able to make ANY friends, and everyone refused to acknowledge me! I was an outcast, a pariah, a leper! Parents kept their children away from the 'beast', the 'demon'! I JUST WANTED PEOPLE TO ACCEPT ME FOR WHO. I. WAS! NOT WHAT THEY BELIVED ME TO BE! I worked SO hard, trained for hours, days, weeks, months, YEARS, and STILL people didn't accept me!"_

_Tears fell against Minato's will, his shoulders trembling as his son continued his tormented rant. "Only when I met Iruka-sensei did I get my first real friend. And then I got Sakura-chan, and Sasuke-teme and Kakashi-sensei. Ero-Sennin, too. And I was happy! Happy because they not only made me stronger, but made me feel like I was WORTH something! Like I wasn't an outcast, a beast, or a demon. Like I was really human."_

"_But then because of the Kyuubi, I was targeted by Akatsuki. I had to train harder, get much stronger, but STILL my friends ended up dying because of me! It's ALWAYS been because of me! Just...just why? TELL ME WHY?"_

_Naruto dissolved into sobs at this point, and Minato stood shakily, before reaching out and wrapping his son in a hug. Naruto was shocked for a moment, but soon relinquished control to the sobs that wracked his body._

_Minato held him close, tears running down his cheeks as well. "I am SO sorry, Naruto. So sorry...I never meant ANY of this to happen to you." He squeezed him slightly, before letting go and drying his eyes. "Naruto?"_

_He sniffled and went back to wiping his eyes with his sleeve. "Yeah?"_

"_How old are you now?"_

_Rubbing his eyes fiercely, he willed them to stop watering. "S-sixteen."_

_Minato smiled softly. "Wow...sixteen, huh? You sure are grown up...Naruto, I'm sorry. I know that you've gone through so much, and quite frankly, I don't suppose I have the right to say I'm sorry, ne? After all, I was the one who put you through all of it, so it's my fault you've been through so much to begin with."_

_Naruto finally managed to stop the waterworks, and stared at the glowing yellow floor. "Nah, it's...it's okay. I'm the son of the Yondaime, right? I can handle it."_

_Minato smiled. "Like I said, I don't really have the right to say this, but I'm proud of you. So, SO proud."_

_Naruto couldn't help the grin that spread over his face._

_Minato continued, the mood sobering slightly. "I sealed half of the Kyuubi's chakra into you for a very special reason, Naruto. I believed you could control it's power, something no one else has done before you. Sure, they've been able to seal it, but never has anyone utilized it's power before."_

"_Also, there was one other reason. When the Kyuubi attacked Konoha sixteen years ago, it was not of its' own choice. The Kyuubi was forced to." At this, Naruto's eyes widened. "He attacked our village once, and I believe he will do so again. He was a member of Akatsuki. The one with the mask."_

_Naruto remembered clearly the funny man in the orange-spiraled mask, the kook that could make himself incorporeal at will, and had the ability to make himself, literally, disappear._

"_He had the ability to read every single one of my moves, dodge all of my attacks, and could shift through matter at will. He's...no ordinary ninja. In all honesty, he's probably just using Pein." Naruto made to argue this, but Minato put up a hand. "I know what you're thinking. Pein hates Konoha, as we were one of the villages that destroyed his village. Yet this masked man knows this, and is using that hatred to control him."_

_Naruto looked down at the floor once again. "Pein asked you a question. This question is easy to ask, but difficult to answer. Even I don't know the answer to it."_

"_But if someone like Ero-Sennin and the Yondaime Hokage don't know, then how the hell am I supposed to know? I'm NOT smart, I'm NOT a good ninja, and-"_

_A hand clapped onto Naruto's head, and he looked up to see the Yondaime's smiling face. "Because I have faith in you. I believe that YOU will find the answer both of us could not."_

_Naruto's eyes widened. "...Really? You...really believe I can do it?"_

_Minato grinned. "Even if I didn't, a parent is obligated to believe in their child, ne?" Reaching down, he put his hand on Naruto's stomach. "I can rebuild the seal, but only once." With a twirl of his fingers, the seal was fixed, Naruto's grunt of pain nonwithstanding. He then stepped away, causing Naruto to step forward. "Wait...where are you...?"_

"_My chakra's fading. It's time for me to go."_

"_But..but I still have so much more to ask you! I still have so much I want to talk with you about!"_

_Minato began to fade even as he spoke. "Remember this, if nothing else: I have FAITH in you, Naruto. Jiraiya had faith in you. That's why he entrusted his mission to you, as do I. I...no, WE are counting on you...son."_

_And with that, he faded into the light._

_Naruto stared for a moment, then nodded. "Thanks...Dad."_

* * *

><p><em>Pein stared at the nearly-complete Kyuubi, the creature roaring and snarling and seething with unbridled rage and hatred.<em>

"_What tremendous power. Such is the power of the Kyuubi...I never imagined a power quite like this before." He raised his hand in the direction of the Chibaku Tensei. "No matter, though. I will simply need to make the technique larger, then-"_

_POOF_

_Blinking, Pein stared at the large hole in the giant ball of rock, small chunks falling from its' edges as the smoke dissipated. Pein's eyes actually widened. "W-where...?"_

_Staring intently, Naruto's visage could be seen, his feet planted on the ball as he stared down at the ground below, Sennin Mode already activated._

_Staggering, Pein clutched his head, his vision blurring as he nearly fell to his knees. Immediately, the ball of rock floating in the sky began to tremble, shuddering violently before crumbling, massive stones falling to Earth like hellish confetti as they began to pepper the crater they'd come from._

_Startled, Naruto managed to leap from boulder to falling boulder, easily making his way safely back to Earth; as he landed, he finally noticed his increased senses and reflexes._

'I'm in Sage Mode? But...wait...the transformation into the Kyuubi must have disrupted my chakra. That probably caused my clones to dispel...which would explain the influx of Senjutsu chakra.'

_Looking around, he began to break out into a cold sweat as he saw the barren wasteland around him. '_Please, no...please tell me I didn't...'_ Barely daring to do so, he closed his eyes and stretched out his senses. A feeling of relief so strong it nearly took the strength from his knees swept over him, and he chuckled despite himself. '_They're okay...somehow. I guess Pein took the fight away from Konoha, for whatever reason. Maybe I forced him to, I'm not sure. Either way...I'm so glad.'

_Opening his eyes, he saw Pein staring back at him, seemingly composed and aloof._

"_So, you've managed to tame the Kyuubi? I'm not one to give out compliments lightly, but I must say that I'm impressed." A chakra rod slid into his hand. "Although, it won't do you much good, even if you HAVE tamed it."_

"_Take me to the REAL you."_

_Pein's jaw nearly dropped, so taken aback by the blonde's left-field request. The effect was barely noticeable, however. "Hn, so you've managed to figure it out. First Jiraiya-sensei, now you. Konohagakure sure does live up to its' reputation as producers of capable shinobi."_

"_Quit with the fancy words, Pein. I know you're not the real one; my Sennin Mode makes that obvious to me. However, I cannot pinpoint your exact location, which is why I want you to lead me there yourself. I have something I wish to speak with you about."_

_Pein merely stared. "The time for speaking is long since passed. No more words need to be shared between you and I. The only thing left is for me to capture you, and end this pointless debacle once and for all."_

_Naruto slanted his eyes to the left, a thousand yard stare taking hold of his features. Slowly, he brought his hands up and formed his infamous cross seal. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu."_

_One clone poofed into existence, and Pein raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. He watched as the clone merely nodded to the original before disappearing in a shunshin._

_Naruto turned his attention to Pein. "If you would be so kind, I'd like exactly 30 seconds to prepare myself. The least you could do is grant me that request."_

_Pein let a small grin form on his face, quickly dismissing it as he schooled his features. "Hmm...I suppose that wouldn't do any harm. I'm not sure what you're planning, Jinchuuriki, but it'll do you little good. Nothing you or your little friends can do will stop me from taking what I need to complete my plan for world peace._

_15 seconds had passed, and Naruto quickly glanced over at the horizon, already knowing he'd found what he'd been looking for._

_He glanced back at Pein, as the latter continued. "You may as well use this precious time I've given you to pray to whatever god you believe in for mercy, because this god will show you none."_

_20...25...Naruto stretched out his hand, and as Pein looked on..._

* * *

><p><em>Sakura was doing all she could to mend Revan's wounds, but it was slow and arduous going: Not only had she been stabbed in the stomach, but she'd been stabbed in the heart, as well, and it was taking all she had just to keep the woman alive.<em>

_She was startled when Naruto suddenly appeared, kicking up dust from his most recent shunshin. She looked up at him, but he didn't even glance her way; instead, he was frantically looking for something, something that was apparently very import-_

_He'd apparently found it, though, because he wasted no time in tearing bits and pieces of rubble aside, and his grin could have lit up the sky when he came up with a silver cylinder in his hands._

_That grin died a horrible death when his eyes landed on the three, Shima looking away as Sakura's eyes fell to Revan. She was deathly pale, almost corpse-like in appearance. Daring to sneak a peek, Sakura wished she hadn't when the utter devastation that filled Naruto's face became visible._

_It was gone in an instant, but there had been enough time for her to see it, and she could honestly say she never wanted to see that look on his bright, cheery face ever, ever again. He turned, but not before addressing her._

"_Sakura."_

_She couldn't help but continue to notice the obvious lack of -chan at the end of her name, and it still pained her to hear that._

"_Yes?"_

"_...Please...do all that you can for her. That's...all I ask."_

"_I will. I promise."_

_He flashed her a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Thanks." Turning, he cocked his arm back, and hurled the cylinder as hard as he could, before revealing he was nothing more than a clone, as he dispersed in a puff of smoke._

* * *

><p><em>...caught the metal object that had seemingly gravitated towards his hand. Pein blinked, as the object had, quite literally, come out of the bloody sky. But how-<em>

_It hit him. The clone. He must have sent it off to retrieve this object, but for what-_

_The memory of his Animal Path's demise resurfaced in his mind, and he glared at the object, even as it snapped to life with a hum, an angry red blade hissing as it seared the very air around it._

"_30 seconds. Just like I'd asked. Now, since you don't want to lead me to your original, I suppose I'll just have to take what I want by force."_

_Pein sneered, all traces of composure gone. "You think that blade can help you, when it did SO much for that pathetic woman? You know no-"_

_A shin slammed into his face, his nose breaking as he was sent hurtling backwards, slamming bodily into the crater wall. His head rang fiercely as his sense of orientation was taken for one hell of a ride. He slumped to a knee as he tried to regain his bearings, but wasn't prepared for the foot that suddenly entered his vision, coming up at him from below._

_He dodged it, the sole of the sandal scraping lightly against his nose, indicating how close it had come to-_

_A fist connected with his temple, and he spun end over end sideways, before a knee to his back catapulted him forward into the air._

_Suddenly, feet and hands and knees and elbows were hitting him from all sides, never giving him a chance to recover as he was tossed and batted about like a pinball. His head was ringing, his back smarting, and every hit caused another spot on his body to ache terribly. He could tell that it was leading to some sort of climax, a finishing move of some sort, but he was currently powerless to prevent it from happening, as the attacks were coming from all sides, and at such a disorienting speed that he couldn't even use his arms to block, let alone his Shinra Tensei._

"_U-" "ZU-" "MA-" KI-"_

_Looking up, he barely had time to see Naruto, yellow eyes blazing as a rather large and...imposing Rasengan was held aloft in his hand. He reached out to stop it, but Naruto had already brought it down, slamming the senjutsu-enhanced chakra ball into his unlucky foe._

"_CHOSENGAN! (shortened version of Cho-Oodama Rasengan (Super/Ultra Big-Ball Rasengan)"_

_The explosion as the enlarged chakra ball struck paydirt was massive, sending columns of dirt and earth and sand high into the air, as another smaller crater was hollowed into the ground._

_Naruto landed a small distance away, unclipping Revan's lightsaber from its' spot on his waistband, igniting the blade as he stared at the slowly-dispersing cloud of dust._

_As he'd expected, Pein strode from the cloud uninjured, cracking his neck as he stared impassively back at Naruto. "Is that all you've got, Jinchuuriki? Surely that's not the best you've got? The Kyuubi hits MUCH harder than you do, and I came out no worse for wear from those attacks. Your dull and cheap imitations of Jiraiya-sensei's techniques are both hardly impressive and an utter waste of my time."_

_He reached out and invoked his technique. "Bansho Tenin."_

_As like before, Naruto was drug forward by an invisible force, Pein's chakra rod speeding forward to greet him. As the rod impaled his stomach-_

_POOF_

"_Wha-?"_

_Spinning around, Pein spotted the Rasenshuriken screaming out of the very dustcloud he'd just left. With 3 seconds to go until he could reuse his technique, he was theoretically screwed, unless-_

_Two clones shot out from their hiding places in the rubble, making a grab for Pein. Shooting a second set of chakra rods out from his tattered sleeves, Pein stabbed both in the shoulder, before using the lot as a springboard, catapulting himself up and over the advancing Rasenshuriken._

_And not a moment too soon._

_The technique sheared through his chakra rods like a hot knife through butter, continuing on behind him as it carved a path of crushed rock, shattered stone, and sliced boulders, before crashing into a particular mound of debris and exploding like a firework, turning the mound into pebbles._

_Mid-air, Pein was not expecting a SECOND Rasenshuriken to come screaming at him. Fortunately, he was just in time. The technique impacted his own, and the two canceled one another out, his barrier dissipating as the jutsu was torn apart by the absolute defense._

_'_He can only use TWO of those shuriken jutsu before he runs out of senjutsu, and this was his second one.' _Pein landed on a small platform of rock that had been sheared smooth by the first Rasenshuriken. _'It's over, he's mi-'

_Chaos suddenly erupted around Pein, as literally HUNDREDS of puffs of smoke turned rocks into Kage Bunshin, each leaping straight towards him._

_Pein couldn't friggin' believe it. "He turned THIS MANY CLONES into rocks?"_

_Each clone was cocking a fist back, and Pein was looked around, seeing two clones next to the original Naruto, the latter panting heavily as he was helped by the two clones to remain standing._

_Turning back to his rather...dire predicament, Pein was literally counting the seconds as they passed. "3...2...1..." The closest clone swung his fist, chakra visible behind the attack. "ZERO!"_

_Time stood still for a millisecond, then all of the clones were blown backwards, shouts and cries followed by puffs of smoke as dozens of clones were immediately destroyed by the technique._

_Pein kept his hands held out, pouring more power than he should have into the technique as he viciously repelled every last one of the clones, their cries of pain drowned out by the multiple pops and puffs of dispersing._

"_Someone like you, who doesn't even know the answer to my question, has no right to continue fighting! JUST GIVE UP!"_

_As the last of his power ebbed from his hands, his knees gave out. Pein slumped to the ground, panting heavily as he looked out over the dispersing smoke._

_And there he was._

_Still standing there._

_His two remaining clones by his side._

_. . ._

_. . ._

_It was IMPOSSIBLE...and yet..._

_'_5 seconds. He can't close the distance in that amount of time. He can't. All of his long-range jutsu are used up. He's got nothing left.'

"_You..." His head jerked up, eyes wide as he saw both clones swinging the original around like a ragdoll, letting him fly as they dispersed. Saber in hand, Naruto brought it back, over his head. "You need to give up...ON MAKING ME GIVE UP!"_

_BTTTHZZT_

_Crouching in front of Pein, Naruto let the saber clatter to the ground, the blood-red blade hissing as it deactivated with a SNIP-CLICK. Putting one hand on his knee, Naruto's vision blurred as he hit the ground, his back hitting the crooked slate of rock hard. Still, it was a smooth surface, and he was grateful for that, at least._

_His eyes went dull for a moment, then refocused once more on the stationary form of Pein._

_Arm outstretched, he'd thrust a chakra rod forward in a last-ditch attempt to impale Naruto, but to no avail. The blond had easily skirted the tip of the rod, and brought the saber down in an overhand arc, slicing clean through the rod, as well as...well..._

_A dull thud echoed slightly, as Pein's left arm rolled to a stop a foot or so away from him, the severed chakra rod still clutched in its' grasp. As for Pein...a fine, nearly invisible line had been made, starting from his mid-right collarbone and ending at the middle of his left ribcage._

_Somehow, the Deva Path managed to turn its' bloodshot Rinnegan onto Naruto. "I...congra..tulate you...Uzumaki Narut..o. Howev..er, you...will never...find the r...eal me...not with t..his Path gone."_

_Sucking in a large breath, Naruto exhaled and reached forward, grabbing the severed arm and removing a chakra rod from it, before stabbing it into his arm, much to the Path's surprise._

* * *

><p><em>Far away, Pein (the REAL Pein) gasped as he felt a foreign chakra enter his coils. Instantly, he knew what had happened. Using the mortally damaged Deva Path, he confirmed that Naruto was using his Sennin Mode, the orange pigment appearing over his closed eyelids.<em>

"_So, he's managed to reverse-engineer it so that he could follow the wisps of chakra back to its' original source, and find me. Very clever, Uzumaki Naruto."_

_A female voice spoke. "Nagato, does he know where we are?"_

_Pein, now identified as Nagato, nodded. "He does, Konan. He'll come here, for sure. Be on your guard."_

_The woman, Konan, nodded._

* * *

><p><em>Naruto yanked the rod out of his arm, and tossed it aside, picking up Revan's saber and hooking it to his waistband. As he began to walk, a hand shot out and grasped his.<em>

_Sensing no killing intent, Naruto didn't react more than turning his head to regard the owner of said hand. The Deva Path spoke, even as its' body finally began to show the true nature of the damage that had been done, the top half sliding sideways as gravity took hold. "I...await...your arri..val...container...of the Kyu..ubi."_

_With that, he let go, and his parts separated, landing on the ground with a soft thud._

_Naruto nodded, and used a shunshin._

_He was gone in a second._

* * *

><p><strong>I know, I know. Short chapter, and for some reason or another, people are irked that I'm still doing this flashback. I've said it once, and I've said it twice. I've said it three times, and I'll say it again: If you don't like it, don't bloody read it. No one is forcing you to, and no one is going to think less of you if you don't continue. Lord knows I won't.<strong>

**Someone commented that my work is some of the only decent fanfiction on the entire bloody site, and while I'd like to agree with him, to do so would be rather haughty and arrogant of me. I'll admit that I think my material is good, but since I'M the one writing it, I'm hardly an unbiased judge of penmanship. Still, I like to consider my work well-thought out and detailed.**

**Very. Detailed.**

**Some people like details. Some don't. Back to the point at hand, this is, without a doubt, one of my favorite fights in all of Naruto fandom. Some have commented that, "it's been done before." I completely agree with that. I would like to add, however, that I hardly doubt that it's been done like this before, with attention to detail almost an absolute, and an almost perfectionist attitude towards correct grammar and spelling. Trust me when I say that while I pride myself on very little, my vehement grasp of the English language is one of my prides, and I'd like to see people top it.**

**I really, truly, honestly would.**

**Mostly because, if you've even taken a passing glance at the current work on this site, most of it is rather broken, ugly versions of the English language, and it looks like a 6th grader could have done better.**

**So, with my rant complete, I'll leave you all with this: I write this not only for you, but also a little for myself. It helps to pass the time, when I have nothing better to do, and it gives me a little sense of satisfaction, knowing I've done something constructive with my spare time, and that people are enjoying reading it. Don't like where the story's headed? That's fine. You can voice your opinions, but do so in a constructive manner. Anything else is bitching, and I won't stand for it.**

**-Sgt. Assassin**


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